It's a beautiful property with a pool, picnic benches, and grill stations,  on 1/2 acre in a great part of town.The appraisal shows that with the value I've added, there is significant equity growth.The issue is that I am having a difficult time finding a lender who will help me REFI out of my hard money loan.

Joao,I have a beautiful brand new duplex perfect for a VA owner occupy off the I5 corridor.

Investment Info:
Small multi-family (2-4 units) buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $156,000

Cash invested: $40,000

Two homes on one lot. I currently own the property with another person who...

Highland Biltmore is awesome though, and you have a beautiful home. 

I think it's just the nature of this industry. 

The STL market (esp South) has experienced massive appreciation as well, just two years ago I found a renovated beautiful SFR Class A has a lower cap rate/higher PSF than the Class C market in Pittsburgh/Antioch,CA (secondary city).  

It's a nice advantage that you have a background in property management but naturally the first step here is to keep saving, pay down some of your debts, and boost your credit score. 

The property is beautiful, featuring a single-family home of 2700 sq ft with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a den, plus 2 barns on 5 acres, was purchased for $400,000.

I think there might actually be a way to both grow your portfolio and respect his conservative nature using the 1031 exchange.You mentioned that your properties were held in cash. 

It only seemed natural to get into it as a full-time job.