I'll use this to pay for appraisals and inspections, and some other misc. costs as they come up.Then I have an additional $50k in a brokerage account.

Stefon, If there is a mortgage on the property,  then the lender is an additional loss payee.

Just take the rent and multiply by 50% and use that as a rough total for expenses in addition to any debt service.The numbers you have above yield total expenses of $33,575 (59% of rents so the rule of thumb isn't needed).  

If the triplex has equity, tap that to purchase addition cash positive earning property.If the Triplex isn't cash flow positive, then that would be the time to think about a 1031 exchange into something that is cash flow positive.Everyone has to think about their personal goals when investing, short term and long term.

Additionally, @Parker Cox, Kevin Fox, and I are working on setting up another meetup soon, which we will post about on BiggerPockets when we have the details ironed out. 

You can also contribute to an IRA in addition to your 403b and those funds can be self-directed immediately.

Up date one side by adding additional bed and bath (the other has already had this done and is in excellent condition)ARV: 475-500KMonthly income: $3200Monthly expenses: $2283 (mortgage, fixed and variable expenses, future assumptions) see below-monthly P & I: $1622- fixed expenses: $340/month (water/sewer, insurance, property taxes)- variable expenses: 2% vacancy ($64/month) , 5% repairs & maintenance ($160/month),  cap exp 3% (96$/month): No property management since we do this ourselves for our rentals.- future assumptions: 2% annual income growth, 5% PV growth, 2% expenses growth, 6% sale expensesBigger pockets tool sheet with above data:Cash flow: $916/monthCash on Cash ROI: 6.65%-7.57% depending on rehab costsPurchase cap rate: 7.15%I know this does not meet the 2% or 50% rule but it seems like a good investment for the area.  

Additionally, most of them don't have the funds to actually market on their own so they use other people's leads.

I could probably pound the note down below $429,000 pretty quickly, but don't want to be saddled with a higher rate for 30 years and would also like to avoid paying an additional $3,000 or whatever it is to refinance again later.

Starting with a commercial property (5+ units) will be pretty tough.Factor in you'll need 35% down payment in addition to a ton of other closing costs.