@Seth Baumgartner Not an expert on this, but a couple ways to approach this.

Preferably the one or two properties with the lowest values so you can increase the overall average for the value of the property.

We'd prefer to do that so we could put more into paint, furniture, appliance upgrades, etc.

If you have a gain over a couple hundred thousand I’d’ pry sell.

I do like to do it that way for a couple of reasons, your name appears as an Insured and the true owner is not the primary insured.As far as the cost difference, in our area I have found that, for the good properties, the personal policies (dwelling fire) can be cheaper. 

You should be able to live a couple months on a credit card or have a paid off car you can sell. 

doing some research for an upcoming presentation, and as a hands-ON investor, it can be hard for me to really put my 'hands-OFF hat' on and compare passive investing vehicles without any bias. i'd love to hear especia...

Used to be you would tour a couple of properties and get to know the folks and they would get comfortable with you before you asked for exclusivity. 

So arguably on a post-tax basis (which is what matters most) and to U.S. investors...real-estate blows away the stock market.But again, I personally prefer to diversify into both.

Every investor will have their own style & preferences, so its important to learn & research what methods/markets will be better suited for your tastes.