When I started OOS investing in 2021, my realtor & property manager were the 2 keys to my ability to buy assets and take on the day to day management of the property.

@Lilia Very refreshing to see such a positive attitude and ability to bounce back, I am sure you will succeed in your investing journey

It offers monthly accounting reports, online payment options, website creation ability, maintenance requests (filtered by property), advertising, online tenant screening, lease creations and tenant/property match functionalities.

No pocket listings = agents aren't even calling for new leads anymore, rising interest rate has nothing to do with an agent's ability to generate leads.If you mean multifamily apartments, 5 units and up, some of those agents will know, but not many until you are over 10 units which are more listed by only commercial brokers which I agree do understand seller finance.

Here is the how I would explain it to a kindergartner:The true power of a 1031 exchange is the ability for an investor to meet their investment objectives without losing equity to taxation.With more money they can buy larger, multiple, or more productive properties.What is the alternative?

The problem with selling is a lot of that equity will be lost when you sell it either through taxes or payments to your listing agent.If you ever have the ability to limit these types of fees and still be able to use your equity to fund additional purchases I think you should.

With 4 properties in different location, you have 4 time more chance of RE appreciation.To maximize returns, leverage tax benefits like depreciation, mortgage interest deductions, or cost segregation while considering your ability to handle management demands and market fluctuations.

Then determine your burn rate, days between call to cash, take down ability and average profit per opportunity. 

My assumption is that it still will be better to purchase in my name (better loan terms, ability to put 20% or less down, and I'm already pre-approved) and move to an LLC, but this seems like a steep cost of doing business.

Check with your tax professional about your ability to deduct the interest on a HELOC from your taxable income.2.