Is it possible to sell rental using 1031 exchange and buy new property for personal residence ,I had lived in previous property for 2 years and then rented it out for last 10 yrs.

q2: Is the capital gains rules on living together the last 5 years strict.

You have to live in the home to call it your homestead.

Do you think it’s a good place to live?

People who don't live down here couple these together but there is a lot of history and they have distinct names, so it's good to know the differences when investing down here. 

Does the state she lives in handle collections? 

Never let family live in your investments.

I am an investor in modesto and have lived here most of my life.

(There is also the multi-family house-hack where you buy a duplex, live in one side and rent the other, but A) those are harder to find and B) the numbers don't work as well as rent-by-the-room.)So for instance, in Denver or Colorado Springs here, house-hacking would be buying a 4-5br home.

CA is a great state and as a former resident I know first hand why people continue to live there and move there.