It'll be years possibly decades before the expansion reaches out that far. el paso seem to currently be building up faster then out. 

@Danny WoodsonYou want to have title before you improve anything so "subject to" or wraparound mortgage will get you titleThe faster you improve it and resell it the less chance the loan is going to get called dueThe Takeaway on this is you always get some kind of title in your name or your LLCs name before you spend any money on improving a property

Or is it better to pay it down faster, but have less cash flow?

Given how muddled things can be with banks regarding a short sale, the more pertinent question may be, can you / why can't you close faster.

You will go much farther, much faster, together.I hope that helps, Craig 

@Scott BeanCashflow is the king at end of the day but you gotta also keep in mind the entry and exit strategies for these investments.if you can sell the 200K house in Dallas faster and quicker due to the quality then its better deal as the underlying asset is better.With house in IL, they might be cheap but is the extra CF worth the maintenance headaches  and the risks?

It seems good to give folks an incentive to build things faster, but not at the expense of quality.  

It may be slow the first year or two, but having good credit will allow to move much faster and more confidently. 

Cheap tools are generally frustrating not only because they wear out faster, but also because they are not as accurate.  

If you want to move faster, up your piece count, but bear in mind that the number of touches is very important.You are absolutely not failing at direct mail....just a little impatient.