It was a big job that was complicated further with a bad tenant at the beginning and COVID delays along the way.

These restrictions are minimal in the grand scheme of what larger metros are doing, though. 

In my opinion either way is fine, but if I were you, I'll use a chunk of my money due to your lack of experience, to save on borrowing cost and also to mitigate your exposure should you run into delays or budget overruns 

Heard about delayed financing. 

It is all about timing, so as long as you can delay the replacement property so that you can close on the relinquished property first and then close on the replacement property shortly thereafter (give yourself some time in case their is a delay on the closing of the sale of your relinquished property) you can structure a standard Forward 1031 Exchange.  

This trick is also a way of getting a free month ( or more) of rent by delaying you filing for eviction thinking they will be paid up.

I understand real estate is not a process where you just don't use any of your money but I am hopeful that there are ways to use minimize cost out of pocket.

Don’t expect initial cashflow especially if you are buying with minimal down in San Diego but rent increase each year will help you to get to break even then cashflow in a few years while you greatly grow your net worth through appreciation and principal pay down.

As far as the markets you mention... all of those are going to be on the most minimal side of cash flow in terms of the cash flow range of turnkeys.

Initially I had considered using this property as a rental, which it is still viable for since I am getting a great deal, but after doing calculations and seeing that my monthly taxes were higher than my principal, interest, and insurance combined, I want to reconsider making it a flip.I am originally from Lancaster, PA and have family and friends there, but I live in Erie PA and will have to manage the project from afar.I am looking for strong recommendations for general contractors in Lancaster, someone who is accustomed to working with investors/flippers and can work with minimal supervision.Project is a 3 story connected row home, brick, built ~1900I want to:Replace roofRemodel kitchenIncrease size of 1st floor bathroom some (I can barely turn around inside)Repair/replace interior doors which are damaged.Refinish or possibly replace all exterior windowsLVP floors in homeHang drywall/sheetrock over damaged plasterUpdate electrical/wiring (potentially knob-and-tube)Remodel 2nd floor bathroom.Consult adding potentially master bathroom (adjacent to 2nd floor bath)Paint interior/exterior (exterior has chipping paint, likely lead).Any other maintenance or problem issues discovered along the way.Please reply or message me with any information you have.Thank you very much!!