I wish I started with a bigger deal than what I started with or wish I scaled up bigger sooner.One can start with bigger deals but you need EDUCATION and in addition, you need to PARTNER up with the right people.Partnering up with the right people is what I did right when I transitioned from apartment investing to HOTELS.

My core strategy is to buy distressed properties in B- to C areas in Central Ohio, do rehab work and then rent and hold long term, refinancing to pull funds out for new opportunities - pretty much BRRR method.)I now have opportunity to buy 3 SF home in B- area that is transitioning for the better and will likely see solid appreciating in coming 2-5 years.  

That’s a big transition from OKC and I read that you’re living in Manhattan right now?

I was leaning towards renting to veterans or some type of transitional house in the end.

But with little interest in being an employee, I intend to transition to full-time RE investing in the next 12-18 months. 

Can I use 1031 for this 'transition'?

There are a lot of great options out there; aside from providing the basics (ie. listing tool to get the property published to 10+ major sites, scheduling tool to schedule viewings, tenant screening with comprehensive applications which include nationwide criminal background checks + credit checks + eviction history, digital lease creation tool, rent collection tool, and maintenance tracking tool), some services also offer your tenants additional capabilities which makes it an easier sell on your end when getting them to transition over (ie. their ability to report on-time rent payments to the credit bureaus; this can create an added incentive for making sure they pay that rent on time).

Move INS & Move OUTS, tenant issues divorce late rents, so I'd think the biggest impact to him would be in transitioning to a silent partner😉.

My question to more experienced investors is: Once I’ve obtained seller finance, how easy is it / how quickly can I transition it to a traditional loan for more favourable rates?

I don't mind breaking the lease if I find something sooner and the property management is aware of this since I was unsure if I would be here long-term when I moved here.The eventual goal here is to transition into larger commercial real estate (10+ units and much higher).