This would allow you to indefinitely defer all of the tax if you sold, and use the tax you would have had to pay, to purchase something nicer in an area with a greater growth potential.   

I've got about $525K in equity in the property, but lenders have told me that I cannot get a HELOC to access that equity for additional purchases because the duplex was financed as an investment - they have said TX law dictates that HELOC can only be used on primary residences.

Now, I'm not an attorney, so I'm basically mansplaining something that I am not qualified to comment on.

It is not an exact science, and can be subjective to the market. 

While raising money is an important skill, what makes or breaks the investment will be operations. 

I know a lot of investors have done very well in Peirce County but I just haven't learned or know enough about that market to make an investment there.Washington state properties are expensive and can be difficult to make breakeven let alone cash flow at this moment due to the combination of high prices and interest rates. 

I'm an investor and an agent in this area and if you ever want to chat about the market or investing, I'm happy to do so.

@Trevor McCormick I would say that it is an okay market but is very saturated and alot of investors are having a tough time right now.

A lot of the popular areas in Charleston proper that are not licensed under the old laws now require the owner to live on the premises to obtain an STR license.

There used to be an iOS app a while ago, but it was kinda clunky.