Better to sell while fully rented?

[David Weiss]

I'm thinking about doing a 1031 on a 4-plex I own, into a ski property for Airbnb in Colorado.  My 4-plex is fully rented, and worth more than I what I paid for it.  It brings in pretty good income.  Will I get a better price for the property fully rented, or should I let the leases expire and sell empty or partially empty?  I want the best possible price for the property as I'll need all of the profit for the ski property.  

[Julien Jeannot]

@Max Guerrero, I'm with you in the Seattle market. I've long ago resigned myself to a long term strategy. We are in an equity/appreciation market, rents eventually catch. 

When I run the math over a decade, equity builds wealth much faster then cash flow. I noticed the net positive cash flow is quickly eaten up by major Capex.