As they are getting paid to provide a service.

I would highly encourage paying a GC to walk deals out the gate, have them give a scope of work so you can see what items costs.

High end vs mid range?

Pace gives so much value.

@Nicholas A. your shotgun approach has a high probability of getting the exact quality you put into it.95%+ of real estate agent, many of them posting they are "investor-friendly", only know how to deal with owner-occupied transactions. 

You will probably want to engage an engineer to provide an engineered plan for the lots and attorney who frequently presents variance cases.

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

Really appreciate any insights that you can provide!

Each note is reviewed individually and most note buyers will provide quotes once the transaction has closed, recorded, and the first payment made. 

A 1031 must be for equal or greater value or the funds in excess of the value of the new purchase are taxable.