Combine this with interest rates that are near the high for this century and cash flow is challenging.  

Combining these strategies often gives investors the best balance of cost, simplicity, and security.

As you mentioned, it might be difficult timing the sales of each of properties where you can achieve a combined exchange (multiple properties into 1 property / or a few properties).Just a quick note that may be helpful - I work with a group of investors that can help with a combined exchange into a single property and will buy it back once you've found a replacement propertie(s) as the final destination for your capital.

The other reason tax bills get stalled in Congress is that most bills combine multiple unrelated measures, usually serving various special interests.

Since the assumable financing and seller carry combined could put a strain on your monthly expenses, it’s important to model different scenarios for vacancy, maintenance, and management costs.

And maybe it's not all or nothing for a given method, sometimes a combination of various financing tools is what wins.

Or in your case, maybe even change classes of property and use what's known as a consolidation exchange to combine the sales into a larger asset like a multi-family or commercial property.

There are buyers that prefer any combination.

Don't forget to account for the cost of the appraisal or any other vendors...an appraisal and survey will over $1000 combined, for example. 

This combined with minimum footage for a bedroom means many lofts do not quality in CA as a bedroomDifferent states will have different requirements for what constitutes a bedroom.