Thoughts on pulling out retirement to invest in Real Estate?

[Wa Chan]

Hello everyone!

I'm a newbie to real estate investing and the quest for early FI. I've been saving to invest in my first property (likely a house hack either multi-family or renting rooms in a single family) in the Portland, OR area. I'm fortunate to have about $35k in a retirement account from working an hourly job at a hospital from a few years ago, and was wondering if it would be a good idea to pull this out to invest in my first property, knowing that it will be taxed heavily at 50%. It would only be about $17k but it can possibly generate more money in the long term with real estate compared to the ~7% that I cannot access until I retire. I've since started a separate 401k and am matching my employer's contributions so that I can build some retirement as a safety net. I'm 34 years old and working as a Physician Assistant now. A little late to discover real estate investing, but I am hooked! Has anyone pulled out their retirement to invest it in real estate? Is this a good or bad idea? Any help is appreciated! :)

-Wa