Enough of the past... and on to my part time path to freedom : First deal closed with a partner back in October - Owner carry 4plex, no money down (Big thanks to the owner and their pay it forward mindset).

Second think of the 1031 as a carry forward of your basis. 

Finding a partner that will share that plan and contribute financially going forward will be your smartest move.

@Dmitriy Fomichenko,  or others, Following along with the thoughts that 1) A Self Directed Account 'can only buy the percent share of their capital contribution' (meaning 20K in on a 100K property can only = 20% ownership) and 2) That it IS legal for a person to invest 'along with' their own Self Directed Account I have the following question before I spend the money on a lawyer to work on moving forward. 

I've been lurking on these forums for a bit but everything seems a little overwhelming at the moment.Looking forward to networking with everyone here!

@Mason Fiascone thanks for reaching out and looking forward to connecting soon!

Any input is greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from any/all of you!

I am excited to have found this community and the wealth of knowledge that exist here, and sincerely look forward to learning as much as possible.

I'm already pretty clear on the fact I made a poor decision, so now I'm trying to have a thought-out strategy going forward considering the circumstance. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my introduction and I look forward to interacting with everyone on the forums!