I would say that most contractors would be good to collaborate with on scope of work decisions but many/most would not be ideal driving that bus on their own.Exactly.

Similar story - I'm basically writing off the 10k at this point. 

It will familiarize you with the basic terminology and benefits of investing.

As far as investing out of state goes, I would pick something you can drive to in 4 hrs or less.

@Anthony DiSanzowhy not stay within driving distance to be hands-on? 

Personally, I'd prefer dollar-tree ones (if basic, uncluttered look) over none in the room (bedroom, whatever) because I want to encourage trash being put away.

If I gave you a list of 100 deals on a sheet of paper with just a few basic pieces of information you could apply the 1% rule and eliminate the vast majority of them and then only focus on a small number to consider evaluating further.

I'm basically looking for input in the following:Option 1: Buy a couple of properties and split the money from the 1031 exchange for the down payments.

It's basically dead in most areas.

First, I'd suggest getting familiar with the basics of real estate investing—property types, financing, and market analysis.