SFH, multi units, duplexes, office space, industrial space, vacant land, and other real property held for productive use in a trade or business is all like-kind to each other in the 1031 world and can be exchanged for other real property in any of the 50 states and most territories.  

For my job, I'd be driving around a decent amount every day, but since I don't know for sure if I'd end up in Knox I couldn't even say what my territory would be.

The more productive exercise is to compare a leveraged syndication in an IRA to some other investment the IRA may make, and determine which will produce the best balance of risk and reward appropriate to your savings goals.An IRA is not subject to the extra tax associated with the Affordable Care Act.If your CPA is not familiar with this territory, seek out a professional who works with non-profit and tax-exempt entities. 

I’m not sure if this is a normal thought process and comes with the territory or if I will be making a big mistake.

In PJM territory, where I am looking to build a 250kW-500kW system, today's rate is $55 per REC (on PJM GATS bulletin board).

I work for the Railroad and my territory is California.

The idea of finding the right property manager and dealing with a property sight unseen is still unfamiliar territory for me.

Contractors in NYC are expensive because it goes with the territory and labor rates are highest in the nation. 

This is all uncharted territory for me and I have been in analysis paralysis. 

This can be management intensive but a way to mitigate this issue is to seek senior tenants with fixed incomes.I'd also recommend spreading your territory to other smaller communities - and not just Bell County.