the company is Tax Auction Investors and seminar solutions...i think from my research on videos etc that was or is thecompany they started as thier education company 

The 1031 exchange rule to defer your tax is two part 1) reinvest all your proceeds and 2) purchase a property (or properties / DSTs/TICs) with an equal or greater market value.  

I truly think I only need 4 more houses to hit my goal and then shift from buying to paying them off.I am not sure if I am thinking about this the right way and I am sure there are things I am not thinking about but below are my thoughts:Pros - I can purchase the houses I need to hit my goal faster - With getting homes fasters the depreciation, tax benefits, amortization, appreciation, rent increases all start sooner - Home prices on average should be lower now then if I buy in 4-5 years - I can take better advantage of leverageCons - I have more risk until I pay the properties off - Less upfront cashflow - Longer timeframe to acquire the properties to reach my goalIf anyone has any opinions or advice I'd love to hear it.

I’m sure you won’t be verbally assaulted about how greedy you are Basically they were gifted $60-$120k tax free. 

Keep in mind that you get to depreciate these appliances on your taxes.

Salaries, compensation, rent, taxes, utilities, fees, MLS, etc.The flat fee model is a recipe for disaster."

Some thoughts to consider:If you sell now, you are unlikely to pay capital gains taxes as your first 250k (500k if married and filling jointly) aren't reported.Doing your first rental remotely is undesirable without 1.)

A couple developers we work with skip LIHTC and the tax credits and go the route of impact funds to help alongside other debt and sometimes equity. 

It is what is left after snow removal, cutting the grass, utilities, tenant issues, parking lot issues, property taxes, mortgage payment, etc. that make a difference.

We did that for about 3 years until Jeff informed me he'd fallen behind on property taxes, and all of his lenders called the loans due.