So if you're gonna buy here in Cleveland I suggest you read The Ultimate Guide to Grading Cleveland Neighborhoods before spending your money on a bad deal.

A growing population, a diverse economy, low unemployment rates, a robust and respected legal system, and ultimately reliable data with which you can base your investment decisions. 

It's ultimately a means to an end and you can leverage it to build a nice portfolio. as others have said, you're ideally going to get skills on the job that you may have otherwise gotten.your first step should be to house hack, ideally every year by living in one unit and renting out the others.

Ultimately, you will need to decided where your priorities lie, in particular when it comes the your preferred position on the lower cost/higher cash flow vs asset protection continuum. 

Ultimately, it's your purchase price that determines this. 

Beyond that, I love working with clients to scale strategically, with a goal of building 10 properties over 12–15 years and ultimately achieving financial independence.This is the same strategy my wife and I have followed successfully.

If you're interested in Cleveland you'll want to read The Ultimate Guide to Grading Cleveland Neighborhoods.

So my ultimate question is, is there such a thing as a bigger pocket mentor? 

As long as the taxpayer remains the same for the investment property being sold and the one being purchased, you can satisfy your 1031 exchange.Even if you decide to sell as your single-member LLC and purchase your replacement property in your personal name, that would still be fine because you are ultimately the same taxpayer for both.

Ultimately, it will come down to timing.