I’ve read about the house hack but don’t think that’s in the plan since we just built our current residence. 

I don't think that makes sense unless rates are really low. 

I just started to look at HELOC's, and don't think it'll be worth it to refinance because my low interest rate.

@Richie Linnon, a few things to think about:1.

I was in the Air Force for 8 years, so i believe i understand their thinking and i know how their finance SHOULD work. 

I think you may be over estimating the time required to obtain permits.

Do they leave a voicemail or callback after hearing IVR or do they think it's weird and dont return your calls?

I think I'm comfortable with this overall given the long-term tenants with a great history of paying on time.

It is never too early to start, and I think a great first step was posting on BP. 

It seems to me that in Germany, being wealthy is a disgrace (seeing that from a tax and legal perspective).Now I don‘t want to post here about how „difficult“ it is living in Germany, but instead I am looking for people that think the same way.