however, it is not as passive as stock or as liquid as stocks.   

If borrowing against stocks is an option, do they have to be stocks held within the US and/or do Canadian stock investments count as well?

Hi BP Community,I’m a first-time investor from New Jersey with excellent credit and most of my savings/investments in stocks and funds.

"Financial Advisors" tend to be glorified stock brokers.

Depending on your flavor, this could be good or bad.Connect with a great property manager early on, as many won't work just any property in any part of the City.Being an east coast city, our housing stock is fairly old and unless it's been properly rehabbed, will have typical "old house" maintenance.None of this is meant to discourage you from investing in multi units in Baltimore, but I'd try to set realistic expectations about the market here.TLDR; we have a wide variety of "multi-unit" structures in Baltimore.

So it looks like you would need around 4-5 years to get to break even by selling those stocks and paying the tax now. 

I am heavily invested into the stock market at the moment (Index Funds).

It is all about adding value and improving cash-on-cash returns.It is also worth checking market trends to see the year-over-year growth rate and run a pro forma to project how much appreciation and rental income increases you might see over time.Your savings and financial discipline put you in a great spot, and I would just encourage you to explore how you can make your money work harder for you instead of locking it all into one property.

Residential real estate has always been a great spot to invest since it is easier to get in/out than other sectors.

There is a reason banks don't make loans on stocks.