agent is unsure what this is.Option fees are more common with commercial income property sales. 

To educate yourself you can pay a contractor to walk with you, buy some books, and do property tours with local meetups.https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/8814/68805-how-can-i-get-contractors-to-give-me-a-rehab-estimate-pre-offerAlso here's another blog post I wrote to help you estimate that you can use while you do a property tour:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/8814/72452-how-to-estimate-construction-costs-for-these-29-common-rehab-projectsGood luck!

The alternative is to partner up with experience and bring the funds in.Here're some of the options you have for #1 above:1) 1031 into NNN as you mentioned 2) 1031 into DST (pretty passive)3) 1031 into a syndication as long as it is done via TIC (tenancy in common structure)As for #2 above:You can potentially buy MHP or MFH but again either you need to learn how to do it first or partner up with an experienced investor. 

Originally posted by @Joel Arndt:@Mike DymskiThis small sliver of the real estate investing world happens to be a very practical way for the average investor to scale up their real estate investing.There is a common misconception on BP that the average investor can scale up faster adding value to a 10 cap versus adding value to a 5 cap

It also includes common forms that you can edit and use.Their web site is a free resource with links to your state law but I highly recommend the book for some of the practical advice they provide.

Allan Hancock College is there also, employs around 400 people.Home to the 20th Space Wing, this paired with the air-force base supports an economy also driven by tech, innovation and industry.Major employers that support the area are UCSB, air-force Base, Dignity Health Central Coast, SB Cottage Hospital, Raytheon Co..There is prison there.Two airports somewhat nearby: Santa Barbara airport - direct flights to Dallas, Denver, LV, Oakland, Phx, SF and Seattle.

Maybe someone can refer me to a reputable contractor or someone knows whether this is a trap cause it’s not doable but here is my thought process:2 family house with a finished basement, accessible from the outside (don’t know why this isn’t considered a separate apartment) and from the looks of it each apartment is accessible through stairs which is a common area, which leads to the attic.

This includes employment, population growth/decline and other indicators that you'll see on the census report.

Is this a common strategy of some agents?

Employment status, amount of funds, geography, age, investment strategy, and a variety of other factors will inform your decision.A checkbook plan in either the IRA or 401(k) framework will generally provide advantages over the services of a 3rd party custodian.