I would look into a 1031 exchange to avoid that huge Tax hit... 

My realtor is reaching out to the listing agent but told me the seller may have restrictions (unclear what the restrictions are) on changing the contract now since they are doing a 1031 exchange.

There appear to be some new startups offering to pay up to 50% of the down payment on a house in exchange for around 35% stake in the house (they collect this upon sale).

If you’re still trying to grow your portfolio then the rent to market price of the property you buy in 1031 exchange maters a lot, if you’re just looking for stable income and less headache it doesn’t.

I've been thinking I would like to fix the outside landscaping/fence/Kitchen cabinetry and roof so I that I can get the max rent or just sell and buy in the midwest, 1031 exchange (not sure if I qualify).

If you want to sell it and avoid capital gains tax, you could do a 1031 exchange into a new deal.

Eventually, I might do a 1031 exchange.

Yes I just realize this..I need to "crunch" the numbers to have an idea of how much I would pay every month..if I take..like $50k every three months 3 times..I could not find an heloc calculator that allows me to calculate precise monthly payments..Any ideas?

nope rentals but that's just based off of Zillow...my point being that state of the investor rental market has changed and to be aware of the competitive landscape, regardless of the type of exchange.

In exchange you might get in free to trainings.