I've gotten deals and formed partnerships through some very unorthodox connections over the years.To answer your question, it will always depend on the specifics of the deal in front of me but in general I'd still prefer value-add.

Happy to provide more details.

If I invested 100K today, they are currently providing anywhere from 60 to 72% passive tax deductions due to cost segregation, depreciation, etc. 

I am glad you all provided a detailed explanation to help me understand.  

Denton County offers opportunities in suburban and college town markets, while Grayson County provides affordable entry points with cash-flow potential.

However, be mindful of the Section 461 business loss limitation, which could restrict your ability to deduct excess losses in a given year, depending on how your rentals are reported.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

I am looking at 1031 possibly or just fixed refi/or use my heloc for the time being on a value add for a building 10-40 units (market dependent on price). 

When you say they were incompetent can you provide more feedback for novice investors. 

But perhaps you would be better served helping a local experienced investor find deals and ask them to show you exactly how they analyze deals, what's good vs bad, how do they finance (debt vs equity) etc etc and understand their business model that has a proven track record by providing value to them.

It will be highly dependent on the district and licensing.