My long term goal is to 1031 exchange a portfolio of residential investment properties (ideally all multiplexes, but probably some 1-2%/mo sfrs) into a larger commercial property, ideally 15+ units, with a much more hands off operation. with that in mind, would it be better for me to save up for a larger down payment and never live in my properties, only manage from within 50-75miles (my Dallas proper neighborhood is NOT in my current budget right now) or would it be okay to #HOUSEHACK my first one and then househack a second one in 18-24months, etc. anyone go down this path before that can offer some advice?

Just sell and move on.While I certainly want to make money on this home, my ultimate goal is to NOT have it cost me money to hold, while keeping it as part of a diversified investment portfolio.Did I leave anything critical out of the equation?

But if your goal is to keep your rehab costs low, it may be worth not doing as invasive of a project and going with the high velocity so you don't run into more problems when you start opening things up!

Having a clear, concise message about what you're looking to accomplish will help you achieve that goal.

People keep telling me that around here that is really for "developers" and I guess I don't rate yet (though I'd like to someday :))The problem is the market is so hot up here, it seems like the only way I can find a deal that supports my goals is with fixing up more distressed properties that haven't sold right away, so I'm struggling with the best way to use my available capital.

In a year or less, my goal is to put myself in the best situation to purchase an owner occupied SFR or Duplex, most likely with FHA due to the low down payment option.

Hi BiggerPockets Community,When I initially discovered BP, I had set out a goal for myself to purchase my first [income] property by end of 2017.

I have a SMART goal related to early retirement, or at least the option of it. 

Our long term goal is to try to buy about one every 4-6 months so we can shoot for semi-retirement in 10 years or less if all goes well. 

The extent of my real estate knowledge comes from Bigger Pockets posts and podcasts, HGTV, and checking out every real estate book in the library.My goal is to learn as much as possibly by obtaining a license and then hopefully make the plunge into buying property sometime in the next year (very excited for that day).Glad to be here and I look forward to participating more in these forums :)