Depends on your strategy: for Buy n Hold, the 2nd option sounds like the logical choice; if you want to sell it then option 1 sounds like the better choice.

@Adah N.

@Adah N.

Being 'debt-free' is a wonderful feeling, but if your investments bring in positive cash flow that allows you to both live and pay down obligations, then the investments for the future are more valuable than the warm-n-fuzzy of not 'being owned by the man'.  

N/A

I’ll keep dollar cost averaging and continue to buy n hold each year.

The reason I am looking into investing out of state is because properties here in San Diego are so expensive and over-valued (n my opinion) and I have no idea how I could possibly profit from a rental property where the rent would not come close to covering the mortgage.

Those three are all in N Georgia but are effectively a suburb of Chattanooga.  

But, she also knows it's not his n it's mine and that i will have to pay the lien.

We just closed on our first STR single family home in the Tampa area, Town n Country.