Unfortunately, old house = money pit which does NOT usually equal cash flow.Re financing: As Mike mentioned, and as you can see, we were both easily able to identify this property from your description.

a month or 2 back there was a post about identifying an area by zip code, which was a map and color coded...can anyone find it or tell me about it again?

She refused to sign the landlord rules but would not identify what rules she had an issue with.

Failing to identify potential issues will fall on the lender to show prudence, not the borrower.Since the OP does not reside on the property sold, the SAFE Act may well apply.

only you can figure that out for yourself.So, I'd say there are 5 ways:leveragetax advantages 'buying at the right price based on skilled, sound analysis'rehabbing/identifying 'best use'deal-making(wholesaling, bird dogging, note buying/selling)Some of these can be achieved passively:leverage + tax advantagesBut even those require the work up front to at least identify, analyze and purchase - and set up managementAnd of course: being your own PM, rehabbing project management(or hammer swinging), and all the deal-making options take constant investment of time.Deal-making is a non-starter for me, I can trade hours for dollars at a high rate in my regular business.Buying at the right price is not a skill I believe I have, I could learn it, and I read here a lot, but I am consistently surprised by how many things the experienced people on here point out that I would have missed or have never thought of.So that leaves me seeking leverage and tax advantages but frozen from buying due to my fear of becoming a 'learning example for ohters' by overpaying.So, like you, I suspect, I focus my efforts on my 'other business' and I keep my capital in the stock market.

But I see the value more in identifying my business when I roll up to appointments to look at houses.

I continue and identify RE attorney, appraiser, inspector as team members.8.Special Housing Populations I observed reference to colleges Stephens College http://www.stephens.edu/ as well as the University of Missouri http://www.missouri.edu/ Columbia College of Missouri http://www.ccis.edu/ Colleges are great sub markets where the profit can be 2-3 times what it would be normally.

You're pretty perceptive in that you identify many of them in your most recent post in this thread:Originally posted by Luke Redford: I guess investing out of state has the same feeling that mutual funds do to me, trusting of other people to give you correct info that your money is in the right place.

Also look up on your tax assessor's site to try and identify properties that are in the bank's inventory.

You have exactly 45 calendar days from the date that your replacement property is "parked" by the Qualified Intermediary to identify what you are selling, which most investors already know so it is just a formality, and you have exactly 180 calendar days (including the original 45 days) to complete and close on the sale of your relinquished property.The other benefit of the Reverse 1031 Exchange is that in the unlikely event that you are unable to sell your existing property within the 180 days in today's market, you have a failed Reverse 1031 Exchange, but since nothing has been sold you have no taxable gain to worry about.Personally, I always use the Reverse 1031 Exchange so that I do not have to stress out over the 45 day identification process in a Forward 1031 Exchange.