Even if you get a HELOC, you'll be taking even more meat off the already dry bone.

Maybe I am too proud, but I don't like the feeling of paying someone to being taken advantage of and I feel like they need to have it in their record, because for whatever reason, they didn't have it in their record before me, at least not that I was privy to.

I rent the upstairs for $2300 and my “old place” downstairs for nearly $1,700 (I have a unique deal where they tend to the landscape and snow for me at a reduced rate) And guess what?

We have a camping stove and grill to cook with.

Exactly as @Ethan Cooke says.  

Hi Scott,With the outdoor living/cooking that so many people seem to like to do in Texas I'd think rocks would not be a good choice.If this were mine, and the rents would support it, I'd go with concrete, or pavers laid in sand and replace the back door with a wider sliding glass door, to make the house seem bigger from the inside. 

Yep, the equity is a bit of a mirage, but your figures are about what I was projecting: ~$30K after costs of selling the rental (into 1031), plus ~$30K-50K in primary equity available via HELOC, depending on the lender (75-80% LTV).If I’m thinking about this correctly, that would give me at least $60K, which should be plenty for 25% down, to redeploy into a rental property with much better cash flow … right?

Too many cooks in the kitchen.

If so, call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx.

I'm not talking about paying but I've been approached by people asking for help and when I ask them to meet me at a job site they don't do it.