I haven't had any personal experiences with multifamily, but there are several really active members on here that manage properties.

Are they active duty?

I feel as if it’s my obligation to wow this person and make sure he knows I’m the best bet to list the property.

Never bet on a loan before you have it without a healthy margin. 

I bet you anything you can find $500 or more in your budget out of wasteful spending.

History: Active Duty E6 stationed in Virginia and purchased my first home in VA utilizing my VA Loan in February 2018.

So for most typical 1031 exchange property this will not work.Example: Sell stock for $500k capital gain, contribute that into a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund (QOZ Fund) and then either build a new apartment building or buy one for $250k for example and put $250k of renovations into it.Best bet might be new construction if you want real estate.

.- Get active on the forums and start attending local meetups (or start one!)

If you are going with a traditional bank, your best bet is a smaller regional bank. 

And you can bet that whatever you end up paying for the property will be what the new valuation will be the following year unless its lower than the current value in which case you need to protest.