do you want to stay in real estate? 

Of course ordered cabinets are going to be much more, like $15k.I'd stay away from IKEA and any RTA type cabinets......based on my experience....

Our current residents who are AWESOME (rent always on time, take great care of property) now have a situation where the downstairs roommate is moving out but the upstairs group wants to stay (lease is up July 1). 

Hopefully by the end of that time frame, it will have appreciated enough that we can sell it and use the equity as a down payment on some acreage while still keeping the first house as a rental.Option 2: stay where we are and use the heloc to invest in rental properties out of state like Kansas City, Cleveland, etc.

I found that Air BNB and Booking.com were the best platforms for finding and managing guests for short term stays and that furnished finder worked well for mid term rentals.

You may increase your chances of success in the Dallas real estate market by being proactive, carrying out in-depth research, and utilizing local knowledge to help you make wise investment selections.

Leave or stay it's a game I like to call Melanie Wins.

Does my representative need to be knowledgeable or just able to open the door and let the inspector in? 

The sheer amount of topics and knowledge can be overwhelming so If anyone can narrow my search I would be extremely grateful.Some topics I know I need more info are:- VA Loan approval process- Living in Quad plex for 1 year then buying another investment property to move into.

Hnu,  Congratulations on your plan to become an investor, make sure it doesn't just stay a plan.