Such a lender LOVES producing assets and "hates" to-be-rented ones.Option 2 - Buy 10 120k housesOptions 3 - Buy 7 175k houses in nicer parts of town.Buy as many as you can w/ no financing and others w/ financing.

You could spend the same amount of money on a property in the mid-west that produces serious net income.

We will go with the extra bedroom and will be interested to see how it produces once up and operational.

Content marketing is difficult and takes a long time to produce results.

@Whitney Hutten You make some very interesting and unexpected points.At this point I'm intimidated by non traditional financing but I do plan to learn a lot more before I make my next purchase.I've been thinking quite a bit about partnering with more experienced investors as it seems like a great way to gain mentorship as well as to maximize the success of the investment.At this early stage my portfolio is fragile and I can't afford to make big dumb mistakes.At the very least I do not want to make another RE purchase until I'm feeling really solid on my network and education, not to mention the recovery of the economy.The question of whether to sell or hold has tormented me for years.There is one other factor I neglected to mention in my OP that made me decide to hold the property, for at least a year or two longer:This home is within throwing distance of a major city overhaul project that is drastically improving the area immediately surrounding it.It's been transforming a creepy downtown area that previously you would not want to walk at night (or even the daytime) into a bustling mixed use community.The project has been going on for years and right now is finally in progress in the blocks visible from my house.Also the house has easy freeway access, and is positioned within 10 minutes of an extremely expensive beach area.

Thank you @Whitney Hutten!

@Whitney Thank you for the encouragement!

In my experience in the Tampa market it is very hard to find a new construction in a new development neighborhood that will cash flow positively after a CDD, HOA, higher RE Taxes and then all the other expenses associated with owning an income producing property.

If the property does not produce a "positive cash flow" then you should pass.Cash flow is what you have left after paying mortgage, taxes, insurance, and other expenses.

As an aside, I have focused my landscaping on food producing plants.