I'm not sure I'm understanding - you really don't "lose" out on any potential equity by not paying down principal - the general question should be about your best alternative use of your capital (opportunity cost) - that would otherwise be in your pocket/investable 

Rented at top of the market and was able to sell after 5 years of generating 30k annually, at a rougly 125k profit above what was spent to purchase and renovate.

So the facts are that you will only get paid roughly equal to the market rate for this service in your area.  

I have been hearing good things about the market.

Upstate New York will generally qualify with standard markets such as Travelers, Nationwide etc... there are a few other property programs that do very well depending on the size.

If you're a Connector or getting into underwriting, please review these points on some of the things to ask borrowers who want to raise capital.

Historically real estate and markets are nearly identical over a long period of time. 

But we got to see the companies who were looking at our listing, which helped us identify the potential market better. 

Second option would be to contact some abstractors in the local market.

So, I am capitalizing on its highest and best use.