LTCG, STCG, rent income, a little Sch.

I then declined due to income and credit; which is still an area where we can decline.

In advance: know what credit score, income, and equity are needed before you purchase to be able to achieve this every five years.

I’ve been steady focus on multi family to create passive income but that idea is starting to seem slim since I haven’t been able to find any within my budget or in a good location.  

It's a stretch but with stable income you'll have options to remodel what you can afford it. 

We want the to be able to have more buying power later this year as well so we don’t want to jeopardize the debt to income ratio of both of the  partner?

However, navigating the existing mortgage and structuring a deal that aligns with your rental income might require some creative solutions.

@Katie TreacyNot a cpa but I believe it will do the opposite as you should be claiming it as income and paying taxes on it.

Renting added income to retire.

I'm just starting my real estate journey myself here in the Upstate and am learning that local connections, regardless of how knowledgeable the online ones are, still seem to work best for me.For instance, out of state accountants may excel at income tax matters, but then you may miss those nuances of how property taxes hit investors harder than homeowners in S.