When People Just Pay the TaxesWhen they want zero time pressure to find a replacement property.When gains are under $20–25K and they’d rather keep life simple.When they want to use proceeds for non-real estate purposes—since 1031 locks you into RE.If it were me:$40K+ gain = I’d lean toward a 1031.Under $20K = I’d probably just pay the taxes and move on unless it was rolling into a bigger portfolio play.This is just my opinion and view on it, others might have different criteria for what makes it 'worth it' for them..

Paying it off would save interest but remove that deduction and lock up cash you could use for another property with better after-tax returns.

You’re not locked into a builder unless the development has a builder tie or HOA/ARC rule saying so, and that varies by subdivision, so verify before you write the offer.

The big benefit over a HELOC is that it locks in a fixed rate and stretches your payments over 30 years instead of a 15-year draw/repay period.

Your auction biz is a lead engine; pair it with three lender calls and two contractor walk‑throughs to lock funding and scope.

That locks in the new management relationship and prevents future confusion.

Be prepared to have the locks changed. 

@Kevin DayHey Kevin, congrats on locking up your first property in Euclid, that’s awesome.

Cash‑out refi locks a payment and removes optionality, so only if the numbers still cash flow after vacancy and repairs.

But, don't lock yourself into anything more than 2%.