Hi everyone, I’m a Canadian that relocated to Texas and currently own two properties outright (no mortgages or loans).

and if that doesn't sound worth it to you or sounds like too much work... then i wouldn't buy.and i get that NY is expensive but you probably have cheaper markets within an hour or two. 

@Diandre PiercePaying down mortgages is the opposite of scaling.

For active investments I advocate considering how you can diversify WITHOUT ceding your competitive advantage nor the superior profitability of the niche your in.As an example my business is running an investment fund and syndication high interest commercial mortgage loans secured by income producing real estate. 

With most mortgages you can move after one year without any problems.

My lease has a sublet fee (2 weeks is guest by lease more than 2 weeks in a year is sublet) that is costly enough ($100/night per person which is about what a cheaper hotel is here) that makes sure tenants do not have others move-in without informing us.

It wasn’t a massive deal—our expected assignment fee was $10,000—but when you’re growing a business, every opportunity matters.Everything seemed to be moving smoothly until the title search revealed a major roadblock: the mortgage discharge couldn’t be cleared because the person who needed to sign off was deceased.

Hvac 7500 I could have done it a bit cheaper(6500) I used a high efficiency unit.Plumbing 4500-5000Electrical is in flux but I think around 6-7.I put a WD and a dishwasher in this unit.Again please forgive the typos, I usually update with an IPhone whilst feeding the baby....

In fact, a couple of recent studies have shown that working with a broker typically saves about $10,000 on a residential mortgage.

I have found 1st lien mortgages to be very profitable.