The property is now more like a business, it will have staff, assets (golf carts, tools, etc) most like there will be multiple streams of income (laundry, etc).There seems to be a notion that bigger is better.  

Most people get into real estate because they want a passive income stream to help them build their wealth.  

Nothing is stopping you from borrowing today to start building future income streams. 

There are some good deals out there, no one is building it, the main-stream media has convinced everyone that no one will ever shop in a store or work in an office again and the tenants are a lot easier to work with than residential.

There is almost always something useful in each and at the very least, having the constant stream of REI talk in my daily life finally moved me to make a plan with my wife and get our first property...which closes today!

We were initially thinking much smaller and looking at rental properties as a side stream of passive income to supplement our full-time jobs in healthcare (me) and architecture (hubby).

I would like to purchase the building:  1. to make some modifications in the building to optimize the space for business growth (adding an additional revenue stream & creating space for another support staff member)  2. prop owner is aging. 

What is a long term plan to develop the whole piece into higher income stream- can you knock it all down and build retail on the bottom and three story condos on top?

I like many things about it, however to me, its better for overall money tracking not specifying details of multiple streams of income like various properties, etc.

Essentially it is to use the income stream from the property itself as a source of collateral.