He's paid:1 - What ever cash he originally put in plus...2 - What ever losses he's incurred over the time of ownership (this would be "zero" if he's cash flowed the entire time, plus...3 - What ever he still owes...in this case $38,500.Since everything else is profit (cash flows), all he really has to do is sell it for more than the total of listed items 1 - 3 above, and he makes a profit....cash flows plus difference of what sells it for and what he paid (items 1 - 3) for it.This is one of the unappreciated advantages of owning rentals instead of flipping.  

We subsequently refinanced the property to take advantage of more favorable interest rates and secured a friendly first tenant (a family member actually) to rent the unit as an initial placeholder.

Looking forward to being an active member and taking advantage of all the resources this website offers!

This has the dual advantage of educating your audience about something in a related area. 

For a female, though, I'd think of safety.  

For some reason because I'm female I'm not worth their time ...

What would be the best way to creatively work something out to position me to take advantage of the stellar prices right now and set up to pay out more in the next 5 years when I am much better off financially?

I feel we are being taken advantage of BUT I have an issue with the husband tenant due to an issue (unrelated) that took place in July.

Feel free to jump in the community here and also take advantage of the treasure of knowledge here.

There is some advantage to having flooring that can easily be swapped out (tile can be tricky, depending on the type).