Investors should therefore exercise significant care when choosing their Qualified Intermediary because of the critical role the company will play in the administration of their 1031 Exchange transaction.It is extremely important to note that 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediaries are generally not required to be licensed, regulated, audited or otherwise monitored by any regulatory body.

My buy box is 3 bed 2 bath in the Midwest at around $200k.

Last thing I'll say is a quote that stuck with me, "Choose Your Hard".

Ultimately, you should choose the option that best supports your financial well-being while striving to keep the relationship amicable.

You also had at least 3 blinds to replace at the 3 bed place.Again some of the stuff from the second place should have been billed to the tenant (ie reattach thermostat, missing blinds, etc).If you want to have the ability to do the repairs yourself, then talk to your PM; but you need to do them quickly to make sure the place can be ready for the next tenant.

PM companies are like business partners, so choose wisely!

Be prepared for trial runs with several different candidates if you choose to hire a handyman to make sure they turn out to be qualified and dependable.

If you are limited to those areas for residency, and you choose to keep that job, you are going to have to either a) wait for a couple years and save up a heftier down-payment, b) change your strategy like you said and go for houses further away (do flips, STR or BRRR).Or, if you are sold on the house-hack concept, at some point you might have to look at a different job that allows you to move where house-hacking will work....

I am looking at a 4 bed 2.5 bath property in Pfugerville, TX that I am planning to rent out as a co-living space (rent by the room on Padsplit).

But I also realize many people choose the direction of Appreciation first.In my hometown market (not Pittsburgh, but central NJ area), few small to mid size multi family properties could come close to cash flowing positively.