Those transactions are to defer payment on capital gain taxes, which only exists if there is actually a gain (based on your adjusted basis).

I wanted to briefly re-introduce myself (I’m committing to get more active in BP again!) 

Yes, it is easier to learn the market in your backyard, however, sometimes the luxury of finding the right deal does not exist there.

Quote from @Patience Echem: There exists a common misconception regarding the financial implications of mortgage interest particularly among real estate investors.

I am exploring portfolio LOCs and cross-collateralized facilities that allow fast deployment for purchases at Auctions.I know private money exists, but I want to aggressively limit cash burn when capital is not deployed, and as a conservative person, I might go a year without buying. 

@Shalom Yusufov is one of them.Lenders will still require the deal to be in contract before underwriting and issuing a funding commitment.

This allows you to test the local job market and lifestyle without losing your NYC stabilized status.Invest Locally: Once you commit to a new location, look for a house-hacking opportunity there before branching out into other investments. 

To give more context, the apartment left to her is an existing rental agreement that is 1250 a month.

If they can't document it like that it doesn't exist. 

This is one of the primary reasons that "Hard Money" exists, and is useful.