You can do that but every dollar you take in cash or purchase less than what you sell is interpreted by the IRS as taking profit. 

For flipping sometimes it works in high price neighborhoods and the profits are much better with lower risk.

They view them as a taking of profit and it could jeopardize your exchange if audited.  

is the wholesaler is the one who brings the buyer, normally they add their profit on top of the price

I have flipped a property ($60,000 profit) and recently built my own home for $250,000 (appraised at $380,000).

This way your equity even is giving you a return.Once your portfolio reaches critical mass, or you hit your target numbers or cash flow you can transition over to paying down debt to prepare for the final distribution phase.However, people need to retire at some point this is called your distribution phase, so when that time comes be sure the properties are paid off by that time to maximize cash flow in retirement.A great book on this topic and more is Gary Keller's  The Millionaire Real Estate Investor. 

I was happy with my results, but I wanted to transition into more passive type investing. 

Your market - do you end up more profitable if you charge back utilities with a lower rent, or you paying utilities and bump rent payments up.

I am talking about selling my primary home for a profit. 

It is the characteristics that a company has during a transition period from good to great.