I'm aware of the challenges and I am welcoming to them in exchange for the experience of helping sellers solve whatever problem that they might have.

I'm considering selling my rental property in Atlanta to buy additional properties in the Pittsburgh PA area (using 1031 Exchange). 

Especially with the favorable tax incentives offered to buy and hold real estate vs the ordinary income tax you'll pay on private lending.A 1031 exchange would allow you to indefinitely defer all of the capital gains tax you would have to pay, and instead use it to purchase better performing property/properties.

For context, 4 adults and all our tech living here, we were running about $250/mo on average per month for electricity anyway... outside of summer a/c useage. so all in all, its saved me about $2k a year if i had to guesstimate for you (it stays hot here through October usually).i still owe about $23k on mine, have no intentions of selling the house. but if i decide to move out and rent the whole house out, our market would support higher rent in exchange for no electricity bill. i think you just need to decide what YOUR main benefit of having the panels are. for me it was for the house-hack, and consistent billing, despite the usage. if its strictly for property value increase, i'm not sure it would be worth it, pending your specific market. 

Paying cash is fine, but plan on using that equity to scale up with a cash out refi or 1031 exchange.

Rent exchanged for work is usually a slippery slope in the future.  

It would also help if you bring a solid deal to the table in exchange for the learning experience.

I own a business brokerage firm, Stratton Business Brokers, and am a commercial real estate agent at Commercial Market Exchange.

No more frantic late-night calls or worrying about key exchanges—just smooth, hassle-free arrivals.Avoiding Double-Booking Nightmares: Double bookings can ruin a guest's stay and hurt reviews.

Could I 1031 exchange on the sale of the quick resale of the foreclosure to buy other investments or would I be excluded from the 1031 exchange as a "dealer"?