Speak with a lender now to understand your options and start building a plan.

I’d like to have 3 single-family homes and the 5-plex paid off by then, which would give me some solid passive income.

I get it but over time, you are going to have to understand that no matter what you do, eventually you will have an azz that wants to give you a low rating.

Also, it appears from your comments that you do not have a full understanding of how depreciation works post-1031.

We have a solid system in Quickbooks and want to stay with that for financials.

Set clear and consistent application requirements so you can base your decisions on solid facts.

Understanding why specific property sold for "x" and where it went, aka flip/rental/auction, etc., and getting familiar with each zipcode so when the next lead comes up, you are much more educated to handle a conversation or pitch a solution. 2.

You'll never get your best deal until you understand what the other side is dealing with. 

@Alex ClarkThe cleveland market is solid. 

Having used both, I would go with propstream if you're looking for a solid data platform, and are investing significant money into other systems as part of your business and its growth model.