You debt to income (DTI) is calculated from your income as well as your liabilities. 

I bought my first two liens over the counter and was able to foreclose on both and made out very well.

.: Some of the advice above is not well thought out or not aware of the rules in CA.  

Well I must have an AWESOME local agent because I have no complaints at all and have used them for years.  

@Malcolm Grundy I almost said North County instead...I grew up in Berkeley and know the area well.

We’re using a well-known Columbus CPA firm this year and for a similar price the work has been better, and the engagement is night and day improved. 

Well, my original SFH purchased in 2010 still has its original S8 resident.

Is it better to have a job or business that is doing well, then funnel the money into larger projects, if my desire is to be one of the main GP for like 33-100 unit multifamily projects?

I agree with @Ashish Acharya if you're interested in reinvesting the proceeds into another investment property and your goal is to minimize your tax liability a 1031 would work out well for you.

No sure about that as buyers want to see the finished product and showing them before pictures will often not be well received.That's funny, my wife said the exact same thing about showing them the before pictures.