And, I would rather not put too much for the down payment due to my lack of experience.

But once completed we will have our old mortgage payment to use toward more investing.Hope this helps 

Kev Kevin:We'll see if we can get @Thomas S. here to provide guidance on navigating Ontario's LTB to save you time, money and some degree of frustration.However, the general rule of one lease, one payment applies here.  

Had one guest stay for 2 weeks and they apparently paid with a fraudulent/stolen credit card, VRBO approved the payment and stay.

What is the best way to get the down payment from them without having to pay taxes?

I've done the math and after we sell, we could make $50-55k after closing costs/fees which would take care of my wife's student loans and help with a down payment on a nicer house that we could see ourselves in long term. 

My long term goal is to 1031 exchange a portfolio of residential investment properties (ideally all multiplexes, but probably some 1-2%/mo sfrs) into a larger commercial property, ideally 15+ units, with a much more hands off operation. with that in mind, would it be better for me to save up for a larger down payment and never live in my properties, only manage from within 50-75miles (my Dallas proper neighborhood is NOT in my current budget right now) or would it be okay to #HOUSEHACK my first one and then househack a second one in 18-24months, etc. anyone go down this path before that can offer some advice?

Here is the summary of my situation that requires creative thought:Location: DC Suburbs (Clifton, VA)Original sale price: $300KOriginal mortgage: $240K ($60K down)Money spent rehabbing property since 2008: $70KTotal cash invested: $130KCurrent sale price (based on comps): $430KAmount owed on mortgage: $208KPotential cash generated from sale: $($222K, not including transfer costs)Estimated Monthly Rent: $2,200Current Monthly Payment for M/T/I: $1,300 *Biggest yard and likely one of the most updated homes in a desirable community where "average days to sell" is less than 14.Now the issues:Need $100K-$150K out of the house (or via investment) in order to put down-payment on next home, which will be primary residence (probably a $600K home).I've plugged numbers into every rent-or-sell calculator out there, but always feel like I'm missing something big.

I have recently been told by someone I know really well, that you cannot use a home equity loan to purchase real estate or use it as a down payment either.

Selling information.Each creditors has an agreement with one, two or more of the credit bureaus to provide “timely and accurate” payment reporting history to help assist other creditors in determining if that individuals credit scores and character are worthy of providing financing.Keep in mind, the credit score model does one main thing… Determines the probability of bankruptcy.Would you want to finance someone knowing that they could lose it all?