Brie's advice (30yr) is in line with the majority of real estate investors and allows you the ability to aquire more property in a shorter time period.  

If this is true then I'm not sure that having my personal assets on the line is worth the ability to keep my loan spots open.

So to summarize leverage with a loan gives you the ability to stretch the cash further, increases returns, and spread out risk among a portfolio of properties.Many other benefits and with leverage you have to buy right.

@Clint Cook Your ability to discount depends on your local laws.  

It would be nice to increase my equity and ability to draw money out of the property, but for now I'm mostly focusing on general maintenance and repairs, and then preparing for things like a new exterior paint the in the next couple years.

So i'm weighing out collecting a potential $150k in gains and either begin stock trading (under an experience coach of course), or moving my investing out of state, or possibly holding onto these longer in hopes of further appreciation and having the ability to continue renting to ministry students/families.

Nor do they have the ability to source at wholesale etc. 

The seller must have both the a) ability to provide seller financing and b) the willingnessAbilityWhile I know there are some creative seller financing strategies for sellers with no equity, in my experience generally seller financing works best when the seller has a lot--or even 100%--equity in the property.

This allowed me to work on the key elements of a wholesaler, negotiation, accurate property evaluation, and marketing.

As for what we look for, it's stabilized properties of 100 units or more, preferably with some ability to increase NOI by raising rents or cutting expenses.