About 1.5 years ago, I purchased (conventional loan) and have been living in a 3x3.5 townhouse with a family member (brother) in a first attempt to start building equity through a house hack/BRRR strategy. 

To us, we like the benefit of having tenants there so we can have rents to help qualify for the loan for buying the place, and if we occasionally have to deal with a crummy one, that's just part of the business.

Hi William - just wanted to share an article I wrote about DSCR Multifamily Loan Options and Pros and Cons for this exact need (5-10 unit multifamily). 

Most commercial loans are based on income. 

Who doesn't love Flordia and second home loans rock with only having to put 10% down?

My take from it is that the city is investing there by improving roads and utility lines. 

I would just do a cash-out refi with a 30 year loan.

So I started trying to get creative on how to create a win-win-win for all.Here’s how it went down:I got the sellers to agree to an asking price of $180k, a full $40k over what they originally wanted.In the offer, we included a seller credit of $34k.This strategy allowed me to cover the extra commission for both the buying and selling agents and ensure the seller got exactly the cash they wanted should they have sold it at 140k.With the seller credit, this reduced my total out-of-pocket expense to just $6k.I used a commercial DSCR loan product with a local bank.

You may want to explore cashing out, and structuring a reasonable loan term with your current strategy in mind.

This can free up cash flow and improve your overall financial position.- Longer Terms: While you're hesitant about longer terms, refinancing some properties with 15-20 year loans at lower rates might reduce your monthly payments, allowing you to reinvest the savings.2.