I do not have the rehab money, and finally feel in decent financial shape, and so am reluctant to go into high interest debt to rehab. 

@Isaiah PrinceAttacking debt: Is your debt keeping you from qualifying for a mortgage?

@Carlos Lopes the short answer...buy more.You are very well-leveraged with GOOD debt, not bad debt. 

She has an 840 credit score, almost maxed out her 20k credit card limit, barely making the mortgage of $2k on her own for the past 2 years.

The “FHA 4-unit → cash homes → debt-free” route hits a nice balance between growth and risk reduction.A few things to watch out for though:FHA Rules: You’ll need to live in one of the units for at least 12 months to satisfy the owner-occupancy requirement.

Dave Ramsey advice is for the masses who cannot manage to constrain spending to their budget and accumulate large debt.  

Also, syncing the bank feeds to your banks and credit card would be where you need to figure out.

I don't think it's a get out of jail card.

Same holds true with business credit cards (usually after 90 days for credit cards).

.: Quote from @David Litt: Most conversations about foreclosure focus on the numbers — the equity, the debt, the timelines.