and love it...now we're eager to implement our Grand Scheme but won't be in the right position for unit 2 until this coming fall. 

There's Grand Canyon University in the western portion of the city as an option too.

The zestimate is currently at 114.6k but as you can see the purchase price is currently at only 69,000), bringing my mortgage payments to 5,034 per year.If I am able to keep the tenant upstairs, I don't plan on getting PM for as long as they are there (while I still lived there).Also accounting for them to stay I have a 0% vacancy rate for the first year or two while I lived there.For the one unit my GOI is at 7,800 per year with expenses such as GM at one months rent for the year (650), grounds keeping at 45 per year, property taxes at 2,000 per year, and HOI at 924 per year, bring my grand total for expenses to 3,619 per year.

The zestimate is currently at 114.6k but as you can see the purchase price is currently at only 69,000), bringing my mortgage payments to 5,034 per year.If I am able to keep the tenant upstairs, I don't plan on getting PM for as long as they are there (while I still lived there).Also accounting for them to stay I have a 0% vacancy rate for the first year or two while I lived there.For the one unit my GOI is at 7,800 per year with expenses such as GM at one months rent for the year (650), grounds keeping at 45 per year, property taxes at 2,000 per year, and HOI at 924 per year, bring my grand total for expenses to 3,619 per year.

So you'll have to absorb 8 grand plus the shell-out for the new vehicle.

Could anyone send references and contact information for a qualified 1031 intermediary near (or in) Grand Rapids, MI?

As he tells it, he was super stoked on a property and completely over renovated thinking that he would make this grand cash flow palace....at the end of the expensive renovations he was left with maybe 100 bucks more of cashflow per month than if he had just done some simple remodeling.

You will be putting in over $5000 grand a year of your own money to hope for appreciation.

@Jeff MauermanI have been picking up quite up bit of leads on deals in Muskegon and Grand Rapids as well as secondary markets.

I am very much an aspiring investor in Grand Rapids and West Michigan and am checking off my list of needs (CPA, PM, capital, lending etc) but one area that keeps tripping me up is asset protection (i.e. umbrella policy only vs LLC).