I've been getting mixed answers and would like to know for sure.

I owe 8 doors NO DEBT (mix of SFR & Duplexes). 

Or if you do a mix, how do you decide which strategy to follow?

then you will have the cash to complete the exchange.1031 exchanges are the tool to continue to defer the tax on your gain and to transition into passive assets until you pass the asset at death at a step up basis and the tax disappears for your heirs.Installment sales will allow you to slow down the recognition of gain but not defer indefinitely.It's difficult to mix the two but can be done with some sophisticated planning and some outside resources.

My focus is buy and hold with cash flow being the priority, and a mix of cash flow with appreciation being a close second depending on market.

To calculate "Net Return" as NOI/DP is IMO mixing apples and oranges.

With smart planning, you can mix the two and still protect the "primarily business" purpose of the trip, as the book explains.Advance emails/texts do not make a trip deductible if it was not deductible otherwise.

You can NEVER mix personal assets with your (wife included) IRA assets. 

Go to as many as you can and meet as many people as you can.Keep your connections and reading going here on BP, your networking will be a mix of online and local if you are smart.

Hello Everyone,I’m scheduled to close on the sale of my single family rental the first week in May, and will have ~$250k in equity to roll-over into one or more replacement properties.I’d really like to hear other member’s perspectives on the pros and cons of purchasing small multifamily (2-4 units) with 30 year fixed financing vs larger multifamily (5-20 units) or a mixed use property with a commercial loan, which would likely be a 15 year loan term with monthly payments based on a 25 year amortization of the debt.This is my first 1031 Exchange, and I greatly appreciate your ideas, perspectives, or shared experiences.