I believe in leverage but I would not choose to leverage everything on a single asset. 

Offer them some fresh-squeezed juice or some Costco-bought single-origin coffee out of the newest, shiniest Keurig you can put in the kitchen.One trick that I absolutely love and have talked about before on Bigger Pockets is hanging a $200 jetted stainless shower tower in the bathroom.

Assuming we are talking single family, very limited exit strategies/investor pool (high-end rehab/flip, STR/airbnb, rent by room model). 

There are also some turn-key companies that sell rental with tenant and mgmt in place, but even those guys usually only do a single family here and there.

I currently rent  my old condo in DC, and three single family homes in GA, and trying to rent a house in Sarasota.

It's just me, my wife and my kids.We are considering looking for and moving to a single family home in a nearby area and I was wondering if we could go through the same or similar process where my parents would 1031 exchange their ownership in the current property towards a new property and where we would sell our ownership and apply the funds towards the downpayment, etc on the new property accordingly.

All single family homes in good areas within 15 miles of where my father lives.

Also the maintenance seems a little low considering it is a single family home.

I purchased a single family home in the suburbs just north of Boston- approximately 1300 sq ft/ 3BR,1BA and I'm in the process of gutting it.

I already own two single fams in Indy and one in KC so I already have out of town real estate teams and contractors in place.