I am okay with losing a few potential purchases from folks who feel that the condolence was improper.

Thank you.Hi Mark,  1031 exchange is a excellent way to potentially grow your portfolio without incurring taxes when selling property if the intent is to buy a like kind property with the proceeds.

Here are some considerations:Advantages of purchasing a primary residence include stability, tax benefits, and potential for appreciation.The drawbacks are High prices in California, opportunity cost, market uncertainty,Pros of investing in real estate include diversification, cash flow potential, and potential appreciation.Cons include management responsibilities, market risks, lack of stability, and so forth.Determine your long-term financial goals.

I have started to identify some potential properties and run financial evaluations on them as well. 

The development of actual buildings creates huge depreciation potential.4.

Actually, I spent a month there cleaning it out and spent $4,200 on dumpsters tossing drywall and wool ceiling insulation.

Pls share your experience with reaching out to potential sellers.

I plan to save back between 50k and 75k in cash the year of 2025 and potentially refinance my house along with the 50-75k cash  for a total of around 230k ish to buy a couple of properties with hopefully at least 1 I should be able to pay for outright.

You'll also need to look out for some areas with higher property taxes...Lastly, figuring out if you want to own/deal with a bunch of lower priced homes where you could buy more properties and easily be hitting the 1-2% rule, but potentially have more headaches (higher tenant turnover, higher eviction rates, older housing stock where one big expense wipes out a year's worth of income, less appreciation in home value) OR if you want to buy in areas that are likely to cashflow less, but appreciate more over time. 

I'd be interested in seeing what you put together and potentially partnering.