$750K to 1031 Exchange - How would you start your portfolio?

Question

Good Afternoon BP Community,

I purchased a piece of land for recreation 5 years ago and now am under contract to sell at a 500% increase. I got lucky that this piece of land became very desirable. I would like to use this $750k to reinvest via a 1031 exchange into a few SFH. I'm not opposed to MFH but prefer SFH as a new investor. I was curious what you would recommend on how to begin? Also how/when would you begin to scale up?

I appreciate any advice you may have. I already have a realtor and 1031 exchange company I'm working with.

Melissa Justice · Answer

@Nathan Driscoll,

That’s an incredible return! Congrats on the appreciation! Using a 1031 exchange to reinvest that $750K is a smart way to defer taxes and build long-term wealth through cash-flowing assets.

Given your preference for single-family homes (SFHs) as a new investor, I’d recommend looking into turnkey rental properties in the Midwest and Southeast. These regions typically offer:

Strong cash flow due to lower purchase prices and solid rent-to-price ratios

Landlord-friendly laws

Growing populations and job markets in cities like Cleveland, parts of Georgia, Birmingham, and Memphis

Turnkey rentals are especially helpful if you're looking for hands-off, income-producing properties that are already rehabbed, tenant-ready, and professionally managed--perfect for scaling efficiently without getting bogged down in renovations.

How to begin:

Narrow your markets to 2–3 cities based on job growth, population trends, and affordability.

Set investment criteria (e.g., minimum cash-on-cash return, price range, property age).

Work with a team--your realtor and 1031 facilitator are a great start. Add a trusted turnkey provider, property manager, and CPA familiar with real estate.

Act quickly but carefully. A 1031 exchange timeline is tight--you have 45 days to identify and 180 days to close. Turnkey providers often have vetted inventory you can move on fast.

When to scale:

Once you’ve acquired your first couple properties and feel confident with your team and systems, look to reinvest cash flow and equity into your next deals. You can scale by:

Doing another 1031 down the road

Leveraging equity via cash-out refinance

Gradually adding properties with new capital or partnerships

If you ever want help evaluating specific turnkey opportunities in these regions, happy to share some vetted options!

Best of luck,

Melissa

Kerlous Tadres · Answer

Congrats on the great return, Nathan! With $750K to reinvest via 1031, I’d focus on buying 3–5 single-family rentals in strong, affordable markets with good cash flow and tenant demand. Start by locking down solid, turn-key properties to build your rental portfolio and get comfortable with managing tenants and expenses. Once you’ve stabilized those, you can scale by adding more units or exploring small multifamily deals.

Benjamin Aaker · Answer

Medium size multifamily (I'd recommend 8 units to start) is a good way to get started investing. You'll have a significant down payment on the property. SFH seems like less daunting than MFH, but they are very similar and you get the benefit of the multiple units with little extra work. Get a good property manager.

With the 1031 you'll have to pull money out via a refi or line of credit. Give yourself some time with this first property to see if it is right for you first. The scaling will come naturally as you start looking for future properties.

Ryan Spath · Answer

Scott — Congratulations!

Since you asked, here’s what I would personally do:

I’d look to purchase four new duplexes similar to the one at 17 Scott Street. It’s a solid example of the type of property I’d target.

Using Rentometer to pull rent comps, it looks like $1,900 per side is a reasonable estimate for this type of unit — giving you $3,800 total monthly rent per duplex.

Here’s the breakdown for one duplex:

• Purchase Price: $489,900
• Down Payment (30%): $146,970
• Estimated Closing Costs: $15,301
• Total Initial Investment: ~$162,271

Purchase Price: $489,900

Down Payment (30%): $146,970

Estimated Closing Costs: $15,301

Total Initial Investment: ~$162,271

Assuming a 7% interest rate, plus:

• Annual Taxes: $3,480
• Annual Insurance: $3,480

Annual Taxes: $3,480

Annual Insurance: $3,480

Your estimated monthly mortgage payment would be around $2,861.52.

That leaves you with approximately $938.48 in monthly cash flow per duplex. Multiply that by four units, and you’re looking at $3,753.92/month, or about $45,000/year in net cash flow.

Since these are brand-new builds, capital expenditures (CapEx) should be minimal for the foreseeable future. I’d let the cash flow accumulate until it could fund the next property purchase — then repeat the process until I reached my target number of doors and desired cash flow.

For property management:

• I’d use something like RentRedi to manage tenants and collect rent.
• I’d grab lease templates from the BiggerPockets Pro section (free with membership) and have a local attorney review and customize them as needed.

I’d use something like RentRedi to manage tenants and collect rent.

I’d grab lease templates from the BiggerPockets Pro section (free with membership) and have a local attorney review and customize them as needed.

This is just my personal strategy and opinion — whatever you decide to do, make sure you enjoy the process and build something you're proud of!

Let me know if you'd like help running numbers on different properties or markets.

Jared Smith · Answer

@Nathan Driscoll how much are you looking to be involved will help drive your decision. Based on your land purchase, I am guessing you are looking to be as passive as possible. If that is the case, I would look at an investment that has professional management and something that has also had the major CapEX renovations completed prior to purchase. The next step of passivity is purchasing a rental that has been renovated and also has a resident in place so all of the guess work is removed.

With the amount of capital you have you could make a significant investment in SFR using some leverage you could purchase a life changing portfolio and also spread out your depreciation over multiple properties so that if you ever want to pull some of your capital out, you will be able to do that from one of the properties without having to sell an entire MF property.

Happy to chat if you have any questions on this strategy!

Alex Olson · Answer

I would have your realtor find you replacement properties. If they are not able to do that find a different realtor for the replacement properties. I help investors in and out of state do this all of the time where their agent sells their Downleg and then I help them find a replacement property.

Dominic Mazzarella · Answer

My advice would be not to assume that the route you need to take is SF to MF. My first property was a 40 lot mobile home park and not once did I wish I started in single family rentals. MF let’s you scale and honestly has a lot less headaches than you think. Good luck with whatever route you choose.

$750K to 1031 Exchange - How would you start your portfolio?

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