The property must be in an area that the government has identified as an Opportunity Zone.You must have short or long term capital gains. 

How far below market will you need to set your rent to gain residents?

The package passed the Senate and received a lot of news coverage because of it the Child Tax Credit that would have benefited tax filers with kids.

If not, there may be some additional benefits of home ownership in the Los Angeles that could be worth looking into.

Guess you have to do a “cost - benefit” analysis to see if it’s worth it.  

@Ceasar Abreu, another possible benefit of a HELOC is they are often interest only for many years, which means your net cash flow could be higher, but this also leaves a balloon payment.I will echo Greg: the only thing refinancing definitely saves you is having to write one check instead of two each month.  

If we want to sell the cheaper lot, how to divide the gains between the two lots?

They now were gainfully employed but the prior lender wanted them to get current on all payments and was not interested in a  Mod. 7.

Paying down debt faster has benefits, such as reduced interest costs, increased cash flow, and peace of mind.

Start with low-commitment options like REITs, gradually exploring bigger deals as you gain confidence and market knowledge.