Several factors are changing in my life and I’m thinking of maybe paying down/off some loans but will have to weigh the difference between the prepayment penalty on the commercial ones.

I’ve been using the same VA service and haven't had any major issues so far, so I think it really varies depending on a lot of factors, like the market, your criteria, and how strong your buyer's list is.

@Nishan Akwalia The most important factor is actually who the tax payer is for the property.

When a husband and wife jointly own a residence, and the husband takes out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) in his name only, the spouse's involvement and liability can vary based on several factors, including state laws and the lender's requirements.1.

Now, some of these answers will depend on what state that property is in, how much equity you have, and a couple of other factors...but you can certainly seek out other lenders about a Line of Credit on an investment property.  

Another factor that works well with US investors is that the local currently AED (Dihram) is pegged to the USD at 3.67~ AED per 1 USD.For long term rentals, its on average 5-8% after the “Service Charge” reduction.

I agree that these are more important factors.

I planned for it financially, but it's a headache for sure. your rent is too high if they are sitting vacant.. there is more inventory than butts to put in them.. therefore competition for the few qualified tenants this will cause rents to go DOWN.. if a property is not rented in 2 to 4 weeks your rent is too high .. this is one of the major risk factors that many dont see when buying in a subdivision of group of ALL new rentals..

There are two types of appreciation to consider:1.Market Appreciation: Rising property values driven by external factors like economic growth, demand, or market conditions.

I found out those two factors still couldn't guarantee they pay their rents on time.