I'm hopeful there has to be a way to find a lead even in a hot market, but I'm starting to wonder if I just have to wait for things to cool down... my hesitation with waiting is two-fold: 1) All the market trends and government fiscal policy indicate interest rates will only climb in the near future.

The CAM license would help you understand about property management, rules, regulations, statutes, etc. as that govern your state. 

Taxes and Other Government Fees $1,463.00 $563.00 01 Recording Fees Deed: $116.00 Mortgage: $308.00 $337.50 $337.50 02 Transfer Tax-County to City of Wilmington $562.50 $562.50 03 Transfer Tax-State to New Castle County 04 F.

If you have a government background, PENFED offers HELOCs on rentals up to 80% LTV. 

I spent a weekend looking at their business processes, build quality and the neighborhoods they were in.In my experience the two most important things when investing out of state is to know the market (over 1 million in population with consistent growth, a business friendly government, inexpensive houses, and plenty of jobs) and get to know the team enough to trust them (Do they have construction and property management under 1 roof, how do they acquire their properties, do they know neighborhoods street by street, what is their screening process, etc)Even though i live in ohio and there are some great markets in Cleveland and Columbus, because i have found a great team in Indy, i’ve Been investing with them over the past 5 years and now have 10 units with them.I’ve used leverage in my local markets for growth and SDIRA with the turnkeys to grow my retirement.

A 1031 exchange is not right for everyone, but when comparing the numbers...Option 1: Have a larger asset base to work from and reinvest in income producing properties (via 1031 exchange), orOption 2: selling, paying taxes, and investing in the stock market (which may or may not be paying dividends).An exchange can also be thought of as an interest free loan from the government - you only pay the taxes when you do not reinvest in like-kind real estate.You do make a compassionate argument for your current tenants, and that does not go unnoticed, however as @John Warren pointed out, your return is very small. 

Like any government or central body, transparency and functional decision making is key.  

You are limited to holding no more than the equivalent of two month's rent: CLICK HEREI would also recommend you read a more technical description of how this works, written by an accountant: CLICK HEREI highly recommend you consult an attorney or your state governing board for clarification.

Get that tenant out before he figures out the heavy hand of government rent control. 

Government knows what's best for us after all.Mboro is a rock solid rental market.