My financial advisor has no interest in my rentals other than to recommend I pay off my mortgages because he is a Dave Ramsey debt free guy.

I am wanting to start real estate investing to become financially free in the future.

It mitigates risk by spreading your investments to other areas.Feel free to connect offline.Thank you Jackie 

We have a GroupMe in DFW that we exchange ideas and it is an easy way to get direct support from other investors in the area.How to choose the write strategy, you have to educate yourself and create a good team around you that you can trust.Feel free to DM me for access to the groupme.

Feel free to reach out whenever you need – excited to see where your journey takes you!

What you can also do is take a look at any high interest credit cards that you can consolidate to maximize the monthly savings and reduce monthly total debt.Cash out refinance is tax free and cannot be touched or taken back but a Heloc can be reduced or closed if you miss a payment, credit score drops, or your DTI increases.

https://app.tango.us/app/workflow/BiggerPockets-free-Short-T...

Joey,Feel free to reach out and ask any questions you may have but Yes, you can use the 1031 exchange for purchase & renovations. 

You get 500k of tax free gains on sale of primary home.

They point out success stories and offer free videos.