But I know sometimes I may need to sell to get a larger lump sum up front to help with lack of any other income currently. 

The problem will be no larger than you allow it to be.  

I tend to have an easier/faster time renting my 2 bedroom units than the larger ones. 

But that's the nice thing about real estate, money, time and energy are interchangeable, you can substitute one for another.

you're not missing anything; i have the same worry about gator lending. however, sometimes people are looking for way larger amounts of transactional lending, for bigger deals. in those cases, it's more justified for them to need the $ IMO. but also, more is on the line, so you still have to really do your due diligence. if you're really interested in being a gator, take pace's program. i haven't, but if i was going to seriously get into it, i would. 

You can search on Google, attend REI meetings, or explore Facebook groups.People invest a lot of time and energy in generating off-market leads, and connecting with reliable, reputable sources who supply quality deals can be a game changer.

I don't spend a lot of energy on worrying about that.

6.125% has P&I of $2625/month.5.75% has a P&I of $2521/monthThis is a $104 benefit.Paying $4400 more towards principle will reduce your payment to $2598, a $27/month savings.Math says buying the rate down has a larger net benefit to you up front, but it will take you 42 months to break even.

I will say this is one of several same-size plots split from a larger one and the others have been split in half the same as I'm planning.

After 8 years as a director in the kitchen and bath retail space, I'm bringing my positive energy and relationship building to a wholesaling firm covering Los Angeles and San Diego counties (we specialize in single family homes priced between $400-$1.7M).