If you were going with white or gray cabinets then your options are open and darker tones seem to be popular right now.  

Pocket neighborhoods, popularized in the Pacific Northwest, are now catching on in New England and elsewhere.

Steve,I would recommend completing your profile, throwing up a picture and letting the community know a bit more about yourself to add some weight to your request.Sounds like a good opportunity for someone looking to learn the ropes. 

@Gary MontgomeryYour first year is going to be the most difficult because you will not have any tax returns as a SE investor, which is heavily weighted for bank underwriting. 

Consolidation will just do a weighted average of your loans where refinancing you should be able to get a lower interest rate.

Ask about floor plans, unit sizes, unit rents, how many units and unit breakdown, what's the most popular unit, what's least popular;  if they could change something about their property what would it be.3.

I'm determined to become successful and financially free, but feel as though if I keep hanging out with him it'll be like an anchor or at least extra weight that'll slow me down on the path I want to take in life.

There is a lot of competition down there because this is so popular, you just have to be the best at what you do and enjoy it.  

That's the weighted interest rate of all your debt on that property if you take out a $300k 2nd at 7%.

Weight out the options with money today versus money tomorrow.