You've got to include loan pay down, appreciation, and depreciation in your return calculations.The point of cash flow is to keep you safe.

You have a decent loan on the place that you won't be able to replace from a cashflow standpoint.So keep at it. 

I've helped people with SBA loans to purchase real estate for a business, but for buying rental real estate, the DSCR loan is a much better option.

With the proceeds we later purchased two properties the same month, one with FHA loan 5% down and received a closing credit of $8k plus a $2k check made out to us after closing.

These are the key to getting a loan.  

House hacking is using an owner occupant loan to get into a home or a 2-4 unit property.

Let's use that as an example. 20% down is $43,000 plus lender loan origination fees, closing costs etc is going to push you over $50,000 cash out of pocket.

Quote from @Devin James: Im currently learning this lesson with New Builds that have taken twice as long to complete than anticipated.....Finishing a Real Estate project ASAP is critical because...1) Holding Costs add up quickly- Loan Interest- Property Taxes- Insurance2) Investor Capital- Our financial projections are dependent on how fast we can turn our investors capital.

I assume you’ve got a loan that says you will be living there.

Let's me put numbers to it: Bought a STR for $400K, 20% down, 8% DSCR loan.