about 5 years ago, i completely withdrew my 401k to invest in real estate.I have no regrets.I paid the income tax and 10% penalty.The withdrawal allowed me to invest in real estate earlier and get real estate investment knowledge faster.The appreciation and cash-flow that I received from the rentals > 10% penalty, income taxes paid, appreciation that would have grown in limited selection of mutual funds.I now have complete control of the funds.Best of luck in your decision.

While market selection is one of the most important parts of your investing journey, it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Chicago has a TON of small multifamily available, so select your property carefully.

It'll make landlords increase their minimum standards and become more picky with selecting tenants.

They set up the process as a preliminary ‘interview’ and then if you get the first screener’s ‘recommendation,’ you move on to a 2+-hour ‘interview’ with the ‘director’ to ‘dive deeper and see if you’re a good fit’ because ‘Phil is very selective’—so selective, in fact, that ‘less than 1% of applicants are accepted to join.’

Go with a duplex, but be a bit more selective with how you're picking it. 

My understanding in this matter, there are several options for selecting the home basis for a cost segregation study:A.

All you have to do is copy in your Airbnb URL, select a template that you like, and start sharing around your new, bookable website.

Is it outlined how many contractors they will get bids from before selecting one?   

Lots of options but you will want to select a sponsor with a track record and an investment you are comfortable with.Make sure to do lots of due diligence