I use a 3rd party service that allows me to request the prospective tenant pay for their background check online and then the 3rd party will generate the background check and send it to me. 3) Well, in that case, you are in a tough spot.

@William Huston  The FL market as a whole is hot spot. it is only normal that in this Phase of the cycle it is hard to find good returns.good on you for making 41 Offers! 

Most of these fees need to be paid on the spot. 

But I noticed the opposite happened where my mother lived in California, especially in vacation places spots like Tahoe. 

Rarely is that rate bump worth that LTV bump IMO. 60% LTV is actually the Fannie sweet spot, if stopping there will not get in the way of accomplishing your goals.

I too live in Normal Station; Daniel is spot on with rental rates.

He did three random spot check of studs by removing garbage and Sheetrock.

BUT, that being said, both these tax incentives are massively powerful tools for RE investors, and it pays to do your research and learn the ins and outs -  it could save you big $$$ when it comes to tax time.Here are a couple helpful articles on the 1031 121 combo: https://www.1031exchange.com/converting-property/http://www.exeter1031.com/article_overview_1031_12...http://www.exeter1031.com/application_sections_103...https://apiexchange.com/1031-exchange-primary-resi...Either way you go, it sounds like you're in a good spot.

Andrew's recommendations are spot on - I'm still fairly new to Real Estate Investing, and have found a wealth of knowledge through Bigger Pockets! 

I must be looking in the wrong spots.