If you mean you want to fix and flip houses, then you may be better off going to a trade school and getting a general contractors license.

I do this for a living and I have issue occasionally but am set up to handle you will get harpooned in a deal that does not work.There are way to many lending OPs on the west coast that will make this return much safer etc.you should ping Charlie and see what he offers  start there learn the trade .

By doing that we were able to train them in a trade, which enabled them to get their lives back on track.

I don't like aggravation, and I have a regular job for a few more years until I retire, so I prefer to trade a little rent for peace and quiet. 

Just for reference I pm'd Rich a link to a Self Insurer trade organization: http://www.natcouncil.com/This trade organization is set up for self insuring worker's comp but the people they know who set this up are the people folks like Rich would need to get in touch with.

If you choose to reinvest that gain then great but you can do it however you want apart with no tax consequence from the sale.If you wait until after 3 years from when you moved out then you no longer apply for the primary residence exclusion but you could do a 1031.  

I'll often trade a few percent for a better area that I feel has upward momentum.

I’m currently selling my duplex in south city to trade up into a bigger property, and it is a relatively inexpensive way to get decent cash flow.

Add insult to injury the guy was a plumber by trade, he said he could get the meters cheap but, the total cost is upwards of 4k each, he has a 4 units all on the same meter (ouch).So, my question is, what would you do, as a landlord/investor?

While inspections can be difficult with job scheduling, they do tend to keep the trades honest by ensuring that at least a minimal standard of care (and safety) goes into repairing / rehabbing.