Hey Mike, always nice to see attorneys who get into the investment game themselves, and great to hear about what you're doing.

Hey Adam,I’ve been in the Tampa real estate game for 20 years as an investor and owner of a property management company.

And the fact that you have a contractor you know personally is name of the game! 

Real estate is all about learning as you go and playing the long game.

But as I discovered, has no real significance to the apartment game, except for the ability to market and raise money.

Additionally, while rates aren't historically bad right now, they are higher than 4-5 years ago, and they will be even higher for you as an investor than they were as an owner occupant, which is what you were when you bought originally.I get that you are anxious to add to your portfolio, but that could be achieved without touching your first golden goose.Sometimes on BP, the push is to leverage every last spare penny, but that can be a risky game as the markets shift. 

Hiring a property management company with experience in the markets you're considering can be a game-changer.Have you identified which markets you want to invest in?

I appreciate your plan to do 1031 and get back into the game.

And I feel the ideal portfolio can benefit from the diversification of both.1) Holdfolio isn't a match for me, personally (due to not enough experience, skin in the game, etc).

Its usually the tenants who live in the lowest tier housing that are most prone to play games and take advantage.