Looking at them struggling to answer my questions gets my double minded whether to move further or not.

@Austin Hendrickson ...yea  If you read (c) For the special rules as of right now (keeping in mind that it may change in the future...)but it specifically states "any investment" held by the taxpayer. 

Another item to keep in mind is that, in many states, in addition to the "homestead protection" mentioned above, most types of retirement accounts are also protected in lawsuits. 

Change your mind set. 

Do you mind sharing the interest rate your paying with that HML currently?

@Ilmar Molderg i live in houston and invest in CT and manage everything myself. however i certainly respect that you want a manager and also someone to find and calculate deals. to be honest, yes you’re sort of right that someone may just keep the deals for themselves. i guess what comes to mind is that you need to find a really good agent that is familiar with investments and also a really good wholesaler. both of those people are fully capable of running numbers for you and helping you like you’ve described. i invest in the central CT area but may be able to refer someone to you.

@Brandon HallDidn't even think of this, good idea to keep in mind for the future!

I don't mind leaving all positive cash flow in this 4 plex for repairs for the next several years. 

It has crossed my mind many times but I figured that the least I could do was take them down with me.

I self manage but it would be nice to have some names in mind should I decide to stop.