I am interested in passive income through rentals, and learning how I can use the 1031 exchange to trade up into small multifamily.

Good contractors can be hard to find.Here is my advice.I have had great luck finding them at our local real estate investor meet up group.I agree building supply centres can also be a good source.In my experience it is easier to find people to do a big job, rather than small ones.What I have done is formed relationships, where I give them a good big contract and in return they do the small stuff for me.I also have a couple of handyman type people on my team.They are usually doing repairs on the side, often for cash under the table.I only trust the small guys with minor stuff, maybe laying a floor, or replacing a toilet.The key is to build a solid team, do not nickel and dime them, pay them as soon as the work is done.Build a win win situation.

My goal is to start with single family or small multiple family rental properties.

At the same time, if you insulated and sealed it good you could keep it above freezing with a small electric space heater. 

Having the same flooring in the kitchen is visually cohesive, good in the small space.

I'd like to buy a small townhome to start my investing, but I do not own a house myself, I feel like if I do not do it before buying my own home, I wont do it because I'll invest everything we have in our house leaving nothing left for investing.We actually pay 1200, and we can possibly buy a 70-90K property that can yield 1000/mo.Some friends have advised us to buy a property, live it and then rent it, but we are not sure.What are your opinions?

Small apartment complexes could be something that attacks you. 

I see plenty of future growth in these parts, and am eager to buy an old 2-flat or 3-flat (what the rest of the country calls a 2 or 3-plex).Everywhere I go in this neighborhood I see new condos springing up like concrete weeds, including several gargantuan buildings by the California train stop in an area that's mostly SFRs and small multis.My question is this: Is the influx of new construction a great sign for the rising prospects of the neighborhood or is it just creating competition for older buildings and rents?  

Instead of keeping your money in mutual funds, IRAs , etc with usually small returns (less than 4%), you can hard money lend for much higher returns (8-20%).

Seller financing is great because in the right circumstance, it gives you leverage to move a property and make money when margins are small.