My current primary ( scenario 1) Keep the primary for the life of the loan ( current rate is 4.5 so i dont see my self refinancing anytime soon)current home value 1,150,000Loan amount 935,000appreciation estimate 5% per year after a 28 year hold and the house is paid off I would have a house worth 4,312,000$my current mortgage is 6125$ ( piti) included My second option( scenario 2) Sell the house, walk away with $150 ,000 ish in hand and put that into a low cost index fund Rent a house elsewhere for about 3000$ ish and take the extra 3000$ im saving everymonths from not having to pay my mortgage and puting that money in the index fund as well I ran the numbers on both of these scenarios and doing what I mentioned above would break even at about 28 years meaning my stock account would be worth 4.3 million just like my house would , but the only is that holding a house for 28 year would mean 28 years of property taxes, loan interest ,home insurance and repairs etc whick I calculated to be about 1,200,000$ at minimum which raised my eyebrows to say the least Also i understand that each of these options ( stock market vs real estate ) will have there tax consequences ( long term capital gains) so any thoughts on that would be appreciated as well.  

But if you use a letter of Intent or a contract with plenty of exits for your purchase this can be a huge benefit for you. 

I am looking to be more active in real estate investing primarily in shorter term fix and flips. 

Also going to guess most of those listings are just "token listings" so the PMC or agent can tell their clients they have listed it on the MLS for maximum exposure, but either:1) Really don't want to share whatever amount they are charging the owner2) Have negotiated such a small amount with the owner that there's nothing to really share.It'll be interesting how this all changes with:1) NAR settlement on commissions2) Slowing real estate market with DOM increasing.

Looking to get more into real estate. 

That's the next type of real estate I want to purchase next! 

You also benefit from warranties that can reduce initial maintenance costs.

That is because at that point you are an owner, just like any other owner of real estate.3.

Consider a new betting game for real estate investors.

If your accountant will let you expense it that would give you more benefit if the short term.