Having 1 toddler and another on the way you'd want to have money set aside and financially safe.

@Ralph Concentine, for wholesale transactions, work with Katz Durell or Rand and Associates.

If you found a safe way to do lease options in Texas I’m all ears.

Now, should you decide to enter into a real estate transaction WITHOUT a licensed agent, one should be mindful to not get unpset should that person get scammed in the real estate purchase or sell transaction.

Creative financing is ruling in this transaction space.

Industrial in an area like Chicago will be safe(unless a major event happens), even then those industries don't vanish easily.

Be safe out there. 

Looking forward to big things and more successful transactions!!!

Since the real estate is part of the transaction you can't do the 1031 exchange.You could consider an installment sale, to potentially spread the tax liability over several years.

Quote from @Stacy Raskin: When doing a cash out refinance, it's important to consider seasoning periods of the waiting period you have to have between when the old transaction closed on the hard money loan to the new cash out transaction closing.