In a 1031 exchange you pay no current taxes on those gains.

Since it has been your homestead, you can sell the property, pocket the gain without paying capital gains.

I've received different advice - on one extreme is sell off all your rentals, take the cash and take the capital gains tax hit and invest in stocks/index funds (not from a RE investor, from people I know who are horrified that I have more than one mortgage), which I won't do.

Once you’ve gained confidence, expanding into out-of-state markets becomes easier.2.

(I don't give much weight to online reviews especially when most of the reviewers each have a history of only a couple of reviews.)The other guy is the estimator for a 25-year roofing company; I think they're more credible but you're probably right about them being more picky about everything.

Why don't we use the $ already going out the door to pay people to CONTRIBUTE and gain skills vs sit around and "human-cat" all day?????? 

I guess I really just want to gain experience so I can provide value to others in the industry.

Also, build relationships with local suppliers to negotiate bulk rates, and stay hands-on during rehabs to gain valuable experience.

Even though I’m essentially paying for repairs out of pocket the equity gain may outweigh the cash flow alternative. 

Ultimately, stay focused on your long-term goals and remain committed to your investment strategy rather than chasing quick gains.