@Ryan Yu, a cash out refinance after a 1031 exchange can be a powerful tool to make your 1031 simple. 

Unfortunately, at the time, and for the years that followed, I was preoccupied with the notion that stocks were the superior investment vehicle.

I’m planning to take my broker’s exam in the near future to expand my skill set and deepen my involvement in this space.I’d be thrilled to discuss the current state of the market, challenges, and opportunities, and to exchange ideas with others.

Might also try one of the stock brokerages that has intl offices as well like Schwab or Fidelity.I would also get it here in the bank account and ready to spend, before you do much work with them. 

Affordability is about 1:3So yeah on the surface it looks like a big difference, but there's a lot of things not controlled for in the stats- There were a crazy amount of houses built in the years just after the war, so housing stock was easy to come by everywhere;- Homes had nowhere near the kind of features they have now - 2 car garages, dishwashers, OTC microwaves, W/D hookups, high efficiency windows, central heat & air conditioning, etc - all those doodads and niceties drive up the cost of housing;- Fewer mortgages were 30 year, so homeowners had to pay (relatively) higher monthly payments;- Rentals were almost exclusively apartments, so there was more supply for buyers;ETCI think these things tend to be more stories that make for good press but aren't really that grounded in reality overall.

@Judy Jacobs, consider fees and exchange rates to maximize the amount received.

I don't yet know what I'll do, but this exchange gives me more to consider.

New electrical and plumbing were needed after doing the demo of the kitchen and bathroomsOn the buying materials, I did buy the kitchen cabinets (in-stock), countertops, bathroom vanities, tile and plumbing and light fixtures (not the recessed lights which the contractor bought).

You can't sell a portion of a property like you can sell portions of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.

Do you want to lose your options to do a 1031 exchange on your properties?