The problem is I currently have a full time job and I can't just up and quit my job right now because I am the bread winner in my home (although my goal is to eventually quit my job and go into real estate full time when I can).

Obviously, I can't keep up with their bids since they can eat the extra costs.Anyway, I'm having trouble locking one down.

However, i don't think i'm quite ready yet to make the leap and pull the trigger on a first deal.

If you do this for years then there can be quite a bit of deferred tax.Most investors will then do a last 1031 into something passive that requires no management and simply provides cash through the remainder of their lives with the returns from the deferred tax making up a large % of their retirement income. 

I worked for quite a while as a HVAC mechanical engineer and am now a stay at home dad. 

This makes it very difficult to qualify for an exception as it would be challenging/impossible to rent out as a "long term rental" - which I can't quite tell what is defined as.Any thoughts on strategies or ideas on how to deal with this, aside from simply selling and getting out?

Also felt a lot of the sfh rentals sat on the market for quite a while.

This added quite a bit to the principal.

Hi Folks,I have some questions about a property that I am trying to acquire in Montana, but it seems to be quite a complicated issue.

Negative cash flow will eat you alive.