You avoid the tax hit, and still get the use of 75% of the equity if you do a cash out refi - (but high interest rates sort of play against that to some degree presently… but you could alway refi again down the line if rates dropped.  

I highly encourage everyone to view the property before putting money down, but that's not ideal for many of them, so I do allow them to rent "sight unseen," but I am very open with them to ensure they don't show up and back out.1.

With respect to AJ, he is a good friend of mine and I highly recommend him too.

I think because it's so competitive to survive in California, and being accustomed to high prices, they view the rest of the country as opportunity. 

Cleveland is great for that high cash-flow.

As with PCS their tax company is highly unresponsive, I filed over a month ago with no response, until I reached out for an update and they then requested more info from me.

Northern New Jersey has very little land, therefore the price to buy land is too high unless you somehow get it at a great price.

Quote from @Jules Aton: If you are doing high grade laminate that should be good.

Also, which choice is better for you highly depends on what your real estate goals are and the experience level & skillset of the specific agent.Traditional agent and Redfin Agent could essentially be the same thing in many cases.

I have used the same contractor for a few projects, so I'm getting a break on my price but 140k, seems to me, very much on the high side.