You are simply changing circumstances of ownership.You definitely do not want to become part of the 1031 as that is prior to the exchange and the IRS has demonstrated they don't like that.

(Golden's great too, but pricier too.)Not sure how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, but you could also look for a place with some kind of separate basement for that first place and then do a modified house-hack to offset your mortgage while you're there. 

We'd easily be in the hole by now just based on the tiling and drywall work alone.Hoping for some advice / shared stories...I'm paranoid to do anything with this house now, it feels like this inspector is on a bit of a witch hunt! 

And this gets me back to the 2nd paragraph, the goal is simply to have the cash value grow and eliminate the insurance company's risk.

Upon inspection I see that the yard had brick installed creating a pool at the door and 2 dogs I did not know about, {she had one original allowed},ruined the drainage system by digging large holes and mounding the dirt so the water heads toward the house.

I tend to buy in the Southern half of the US for 2 reasons:1) you get much higher year-round occupancy rates in the South & it’s simply tough to earn a good ROI in the North if your place sits vacant for a big chunk of the year2) Culturally, the Southern half of the US seems to be a lot more accepting of STRs regulation-wise.

In reality, we shoot to hit the loan amount to simply receive all of our investment back.

Cats don't bark or dig large holes in the yard but they can sure do a lot of other damage.

But, your lower mortgage doesn't give you cash today to actually fix the issue.Willingness to walk away is simply a negotiation tactic/confidence play. 

Ok so I’m new and I have a question cause simply put, I don’t know.