This higher purchasing power for house hacking is why people are suggesting this.

We really want that freedom and independence.

Debt is a tool and if used correctly can be a powerful multiplier.In 2012-2015 I used to buy REO properties all cash since cash offers were preferred by the REO sellers at that point.

My wife and I are excited to jump into the game, with the hopes of showing our 3-year old twins the path to financial freedom, but we are becoming more and more cautious in an attempt to avoid stumbling out of the blocks. 

Sure the properties are less expensive in the Poconos, but will you have the same earning power and quality of life?

On the digital front - Yes, SEO is powerful and you should absolutely have a web presence and when you do, you should absolutely spend time and resources on your SEO.

So even though your dollar turns into 85-cents of cash value, that 85-cents will eventually catch up and surpass where the dollar would have been if it had been invested.The delta between the cash value growth rate and the borrowing rate helps the business case, but its the tax advantage that is more powerful.

, Debt paydown to increase VA purchasing power for our next investment (currently have negative equity on the property)?

If you believe in the power of real estate as a wealth generator, you would hold onto the property for 5-10 years. 

My interest in real estate stems from reading Craig Curelop's The House Hacking Strategy: How to Use Your Home to Achieve Financial Freedom; ever since reading this book, I have been learning in preparation to purchase my wife and I's first investment property a 2-4 unit small multiplex (in Massachusetts driving distance from my wife's work in Medfield) which will allow us to implement Craig's house hacking strategy, and begin to scale our real estate business toward financial freedom.