It will also guide you on what finish quality you'll need to match the comps...and what it will cost to achieve that.  

There are other factors that will need to be worked into 1031 exchange qualifications too like matching of debt on the properties. 

You need to simplify what is going on and make this match the rest of the house.

I was offered 7.5% fixed 30 year by a portfolio lender that required no seasoning, but when I ran the numbers, I realized I'd need 2 houses through a portfolio lender to match the cash flow that one house would generate if it were on a conventional Fannie loan.

Google that and compare if the amount matches the premium for how much you're borrowing.

He may have suggested something like "if you find someone able to better my offer, could you please let me know so I can at least have a chance to match it?"  

With no match on 401K I would run the numbers and see if that 12% of your income can get better returns if used in other means (paying off debt or RE investing).

Equity should work in excess of 20% for good investors and deferring use of this cash to match it with larger income years is the tax tail wagging the dog.  

The organization vets and monitors its donations to make sure money isn't being used fraudulently.https://www.givedirectly.org/Watsi - You can donate directly to people around the world in need of medical treatmenthttps://watsi.org/You could also look at GiveWell's list of top charities and see if any match your interest in giving:http://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities

Just save the $14K, leave your retirement plan alone (unless, of course, you reduce contributions - only contribute up to the point of the ER match, if any - which might free up cashflow) and get started when you have the funds.