After reading this thread, a few comments come to mind over this common A or B decision.Without knowing how much it is (no need to say) makes my advice (or more accurately, my opinion) more general in nature but here it goes:Lending has very little to no tax shelters whereas buy and hold does.

I agree with @Chris Seveney that a performing note would be a very good starting point.

Small multifamily, up to 4 units (at least to start), then graduate into larger investments as your portfolio performs positively. 

If you are buying a BRRRR then make sure your rehab budget and ARV make sense and is accurate. 

Quote from @Jonathan Greene: Never sell a high-performing property with no cap ex and low maintenance to buy another rental.

I definitely recommend that you seek out a Certified Cost Segregation Professional so that you are confident in the quality of the work performed and the deliverables produced.

Make sure you don't chase deals where you can't perform.

I can assure you, your business will perform far better as well.  

They don't guarantee their performance and your money is lost if they flee with it. 4.

I may also charge if one of our people can't perform scheduled maintenance because the tenant has not crated an aggressive dog.