My initial thoughts are to spend money upgrading the kitchen and master bath; granite countertops, tile backsplash, maybe a pot filler over range, tile shower, extra windows?

Plenty of pots and pan, casserole dishes, pie plates etc etc.We constantly get compliments on the kitchen and how people can cook any kind of meal.  

Luckily my neighbor who does trucking for one of the potting soil companies has a mountain of it for some reason.

It is a lot.Here is some items:Furniture and stuff to hang on wallEnd tables and lampsSheets, mattress and  pillow protectors, flatware, knvives, plates, cups, glasses, pots and pans, cooking utensils, spices, paper products like TP and paper towels, towels, washer and dryer is good to have.Internet and cable or Satellite plus nice TV, or more than one?

I think in all honesty you're trying to stir the pot for no apparent reason when you don't even know me.

Get pre-approved, shop around for the best deals, bump up that credit score, and if you can swing it, drop a bit more than 10% down – it might sweeten the pot.

If it is more than what you net from the sale then you pay no capital gains taxes, if it is less than what you net from the sale then you pay capital gains on any difference that you pocket.In your example, if 100K of the 200K net is profit and you put down 200K for the exchange property then no tax due.  

As long as the property will appraise for the adjusted value I should be able to get some of the money as repair credits or as allowances as long as the seller agrees given there desired net is the same.  

But then we start looking at syndication and just growing the same pot of money that way.I was also thinking with good credit based on the high w2 income, it might pay to use a large line of credit (at say 6-7%) to help with down payment in buying multiple properties (unless you have a lot of capital which I don't) rather than cashing out a retirement account and taking a 40% tax hit at the high income rate, pay off the line of credit with income and allow the properties to start working for you.Our thought was to pull a HELOC as a "back-up" for any CapEx or other issues if they occur.  

I don't allow vaping or pot either.