Quote from @Ricardo Vergara: Hi, I am here to learn as much as I can to get in to real estate investing, and avoid making unnecessary mistakes along the way.

@Mike SmithHey Mike, congrats on paying off that rental and great strategy to avoid taxes on it, and Dave hit on some really good points above.From the 1031 side, the biggest thing (and I think I saw someone else mention it above) is just making sure you’re working with a solid qualified intermediary and that your replacement property (or properties) are identified correctly.

Don't gut a working property for capital you might not use.Also check: can you refi with a different lender and avoid the cash-out entirely?

Screening carefully is key to avoid last-minute cancellations.

So you’re not doing anything wrong.Given your call volume (≈1/month), I’d avoid anything heavyweight or “full platform” based.

About 50% of the deals they find are off-market, which is a huge advantage for international buyers trying to avoid bidding wars.Since you are looking for long-term hold, are you leaning more toward Section 8/subsidized housing or standard market-rate tenants?

It’s been a helpful way to stay conservative on paper while avoiding surprises in real life.

Things happen and I totally understand, but this could have been avoided had they been upfront from the beginning.

What is the best way to avoid legal issues when making decisions for this property and to not let him claim anything when selling the property?

Side note, here is a podcast episode I recently did with BP: Avoid Paying Taxes (Legally) with THIS Rental Tax Loophole Hi Sean, I have emailed you.