Also measure the profit per door and fix or sell the dogs.

I feel a loss of direction and that makes it really hard for me to focus and build.Do we keep at building a portfolio of small multi family (very abundant in my market, very rare to find anything above a triplex for sale), with plans of selling the portfolio and 1031'ing into larger properties? 

If it is a larger bank/mortgage broker, you should be fine. 

Hoping to go down one of two paths:1- Buy a condo or small single family home and build equity and create value with my maintenance/construction background.2- Find a cash provider to do this on a larger scale with a 3-5 unit building. 

Some of the larger companies will take them, but they often charge a fee.

I'm seeking to be in an environment with like minded individuals to learn and network to grow my portfolio and eventually network to collaborate on larger deals once I have a better understanding of the commercial side. 

One marks up larger jobs, but won't say how much.

An easy flip at 7-10% return might be more lucrative than a larger project that takes longer and more chances for cost over runs. 

They knew a dog lived there when they rented it and they rented anyway, knowing they had allergies and chronic asthma they rented a home with carpet. 

I see some larger single family homes in areas that appear to be zoned R2 that, at least from a physical perspective, seem like they could work for this.