Is that because you don't know what your Real Estate goal is?

I’m a newly licensed real estate agent, but I haven’t chosen a brokerage to hang my license with yet.

I would try not to tie up any of the principal in down payments.Personally, I had a family member do this same thing, but they used an investment portfolio as the collateral instead of real estate.If you play your cards right, this might be the only short-term money you ever need.Please let us know what you end up doing.

But ya have to make some educated prognostications in life.Add this to the information your processing - What your talking about doing is eliminating around $4000 or interest expense (which is deductible anyway so really could be a real impact of eliminating $2800 or so) of debt in exchange for paying over $10K in capital gains tax (don't forget possible state gains tax as well).  

It's great that you're focused on saving and educating yourself before diving into real estate.

I have been dabbling in real estate investing and we have a vacation rental property in Custer SD.

Mom is a real estate agent and dad knows the trades.

However, the tax treatment differs between short-term and long-term rentals:Short-Term Rentals (STRs): If you materially participate (work 100+ hours and more than anyone else on the property), you may be able to offset rental deductions against W-2 or other active income, offering greater tax benefits.Long-Term Rentals (LTRs): If your AGI exceeds $100K, your rental losses may be limited, unless you qualify as a Real Estate Professional (REPS).If you plan to expand your rental portfolio, consider an LLC later for liability protection and easier management.

I’m also interested in connecting with local investors, real estate agents, and lenders who are open to collaborating on new opportunities.

When I was doing a house flip in Jurupa Valley, California inland Empire/Riverside and I was looking to do more flips in the inland empire Riverside, and inland Empire areasLooking for some good contacts or contractors or real estate agents who are Flipper friendly?