With the enhancements in technology as well as 17 years of sweat equity, we can usually create a pretty compelling ROI on buildings with a cost basis as low as $250k. 

Enhance both of y'alls education and try to keep current.

A Partnership on an apartment complex of 30 or more units would greatly enhance your endeavor to make it and also afford to hire a Property Management Company that would do the daily operations. 

@Robert Ellis  Our Business Plan is to purchase Buy and Hold rental properties for longer term investment and to offset those with some Enhance and Resale properties. 

It's great your spouse is on board and pulling in the same direction, the Significant Other can enhance or detour REI timelines.How are you currently finding your deals?

the tool is not the problem.There are a myriad of strategies to use 1031 to not only exit the game effectively but to enhance your net worth significantly as you go.1.

Schools as daycare, online programs as education Why not enhance education with online presentations and world class teachers?

Except for larger properties (>3,000 SqFt) our time-to-rent is typically less than 2 weeks.To further lower your time-to-rent, add low cost enhancements like ceiling fans.

There are several tax experts who are active here on the forum who might be able to assist you.But first you need to decide which type of retirement account is the right fit for you: you can have a custodial self-directed IRA, or you can enhance it with the checkbook control by setting up Checkbook IRA (aka IRA owned LLC).

Your way around it if it is fix and flip is to just do work that will increase the appraisal: improve curb appeal, enhance the kitchen or bath, or turn it into an open concept.