Hi, I have my primary residence that is almost paid off, I have about 250,000 in equity. I do not have enough cash to come up with a 25% down payment on a duplex, and would like to take out an equity line of credit to make the down payment. Then I would like to borrow enough against the equity to pay off the line of credit, the rest of my 1st mortgage ($20,000) and to purchase a rental for 160,000. This wold leave me with one loan of approximately 180,000. I am pretty sure that I can do that part, but I am wondering if the interest that I am paying on the loan can be used as a write off towards my rental property bussiness that I am about to start or if because the loan is backed by my primary residence, I would have to claim it on my personal 1040 at the end of the year. Thanks for the help. Nate