Our personal home would not be a good candidate to use as a home trade where you trade a week at your house for a week at someone else's in another country. 

Speaking of which, if anyone knows, I'll find out soon enough, can you hand the post office clerk a stack on stamps and your attack of letters and they'll treat your stamp stack like currency, make the trade then stick your stamps in a drawer and then like 'rubber' stamp the letters for you?

Can you please recommend any contractors in this area, GC or any trade?  

I could have bought those FHA for 500 down 200 a month... they trade today at well I don't know how much but they got to be 300 to 500k each... 100 X  in 40 years.

You can choose to include an agent / broker, but remember that reduces your profit in trade for the their services.Of course, you'll need to learn HOW to make an offer: what's their asking price?

Personally, I used the first rentals to learn the trade.

I missed the deadline by a few weeks, however I got more units and better cash flow, so I think it's a fair trade!

I had called a few other RE Brokers , Banks and Trades people to get some leads on Builders , Lawyers , Civil engineers , Plumbers , electricians etc .

My fear would be to lose a foot hold that i currently have in such a great area, in trade for a 4plex that might be a step back neighborhood wise.  

First, there are no market makers in real estate or real estate derivatives, which is why they are not freely traded (i.e. illiquid).