Instead, roll the funds into an IRA or Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA) to keep them tax-deferred and open up flexible investment options, including real estate.

I do not worry much about "hurried or sloppy work" because it is also in my contract that all work must pass inspection, which may include the city / county (for permitted projects), lender and myself.

I am a power user for Zoho for a number of reasons including following:Zoho CRM, truly the beast out there.

Charge the tenants a higher rent rate and include utilities with their rent.

I think you forgot to include the question.

You are competing against other owners who have a much lower basis and/or debt cost to cover. 

Do you have this included? 

In your case, changing the property from a rental to your primary residence constitutes a change in use.The depreciation recapture will be calculated based on the fair market value of the building at the time of conversion, not including the land value.Since you're tearing down the existing structure, the entire amount of depreciation taken over the past two years will likely be recaptured, as the building's value at conversion will effectively be zero.The recaptured amount will be taxed as ordinary income, up to a maximum rate of 25% for residential rental property (Section 1250 property).

Used your HELOC to fund the down payment on a second property if the right opportunity presents, otherwise those returns wouldn’t be juicy enough for me to take on more debt for the sake of scaling if you’re buying at retail. 

Your 'cost' should include everything, from land purchase, soft costs, holding costs, and hard costs.