When I purchase my rentals, I have/use a large HELOC that i have on my primary residence to pay for the investment property in cash and also use the HELOC to renovate the property.

Insurance would cover it, I would pay the deductible, and no assets would be lost.If you are in an area like San Diego where people are more likely to sue, a judge is more likely to find you guilty, and the payout is expected to be higher, you may consider an umbrella insurance policy.

Some great answers, my intent would not be to spend the $$ on the investment property but to pay off the mortgage on the primary.

I’m 41 a mom of 3 and working on paying off my second home through owner financing.

There are investors out there that put large amounts down, such as 50% or more and those that pay cash.

On another note, the whole paying into the property should be on top of the required mortgage otherwise you end up paying a higher share since you have the money down upfront. 

The duplexes had 3 of 4 units rented, and only one tenant is actually paying rent.

I mean… Would we even get THAT much more in the end with a realtor, given that (as I understand it), most investors pay all closing costs and we wouldn’t have to pay a realtor fee?

So now my next purchase is going to be solely with the goal of cash flow in mind to help offset what I'm currently paying out of pocket.

It would have been nice to pay lower for the property but from what I can see from the appraisal, the appraiser took into account properties with similar rent values which brought the appraised value back up the second time around.