That said, there are regional variances, and the people on this thread feel opposite to my views.

Host was telling me, "They said x, y, z" and I said, "No they said the opposite to me."

All of my children are different and have opposite strengths and weaknesses.

Quite the opposite. 

but it sounds like you know a lot of what you DON'T want; what you do want is the opposite. if you're going to do your next project alone, it sounds like you want a LTR nearby that's relatively turnkey without any problem-tenants. you can do a 'lazy 1031' where you just sell traditionally & in the same calendar year buy the new property, while working with your cpa to figure out how to offset the tax bill. you could alternatively partner with an active investor on your next deal; that way you could invest in what could be a higher cashflow market compared to where you live, and not have to invest much time (since it sounds like you guys don't have as much time to spend on this now). 

Everything you said is the exact opposite of what is true.The more cash you put into a deal, like a higher DP, the more you are paying for that property. 

@Jonathan Klemm and I'm the opposite, I love Elgin and avoid Chicago! 

On the opposite side of the lot, I would do surface parking spaces. 

Unless if their direction is completely the opposite of yours !!!

Quite the opposite actually