I want to save a little $ by not having to pay an agent over 25K in commission for a project like this.

I've included an example below to help illustrate this.So different lenders have different rates (which do vary even for DSCR loans) but these are factors they all consider.See example below:DSCR < 1Principal + Interest = $1,700Taxes = $350, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $50Total PITIA = $2200Rent = $2000DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2000/2200 = 0.91Since the DSCR is 0.91, we know the expenses are greater than the income of the property.DSCR >1Principal + Interest = $1,500Taxes = $250, Insurance = $100, Association Dues = $25Total PITIA = $1875 Rent = $2300DSCR = Rent/PITIA = 2300/1875 = 1.23If a purchase, you also generally need reserves / savings to show you have 3-6 month payments of PITIA (principal / interest (mortgage payment), property taxes and insurance and HOA (if applicable).

My question is, do I just not touch the first property, use the cash flow to reinvest and pay down the mortgage or save up for a downpayment down the road OR do I pull cash out of the first property to buy the next property?

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

By February, the median home value dropped 20 percent, bringing the price down to $560,000.TKL found there are now nearly 8,000 homes listed for sale in the Washington, DC metro area, and almost half of them have been put on the market in the last 30 days.The tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service is preparing to fire thousands of workers next week"***************************************************************************Comment: Save The IRS  - said no one, everIn the last year of our marriage my ex wife spent $150,000 on clothes.

When I helped start a restaurant, I tried to prepare as much of this stuff as I could before opening and it saved me stress and time repeatedly. 

The latter part of my post was referring to the protection of the account, not the assets through funding but the cash left on-hand.I think because banks are or were typically used for ck, savings, etc, I never looked to them as offering IRA/SDIRA.When I opened my account (2018) it was with specifics in mind and now I am reevaluating.

I have enough saved for FHA loan down payment on a duplex up to 500k. 

Eliminate debt, establish a budget, and save.

If you’re not in a rush to tap your equity, holding off until rates come down could save you money in the long run.