The way I'm looking at it, if my spouse and I only do employer matching for the 10 years we would have more than enough in there and still 10 years out from being able to access it.I do plan on doing 401k loans for deals if the numbers check out, and I've considered rolling over some of our 401ks into roth IRAs to access our contributions but we'd have to pay taxes out of pocket (a big hit to cash flow) and we couldn't touch it for 5 years.  

something that seems to surprise new investors is that transacting real estate is expensive.in Pittsburgh transfer taxes are 5%, usually split between buyer and seller. 

States like CA, NY, CT, NJ, MD are notorious for high sale price homes, higher taxes and hard to cash flow.

They don't all offer the same servicers (default management, document services, tracking of taxes and insurance, escrows, etc.), but I am with you that communication and competency are key.

For example, I have two STR high-income earners (making 140k & 150k) in Joshua Tree for sale with low expenses, where the sellers will stay on to manage it.Making sure you are keeping as much as possible from the tax man is a huge component and to do so you usually have to invest it.

This should include potential rental income, expenses (including property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and potential vacancy), and your expected return on investment. 

Prioritize properties with strong rental potential and set aside reserves to handle unexpected costs.Finally, familiarize yourself with tenant laws in your target market, especially in Portland, and consult a real estate-savvy CPA for tax efficiency and legal considerations.

Any way around paying the very high property tax, school tax etc. in SC?  

Also assessment never picked up those multiple sales and the parcel was being taxed at 8 acres. 

But I also love the idea of investing in real-estate and utilizing its tax benefits I have read around 10 ish books or so and the one I am reading right now recommended this site I am looking for some advice of things I can do to either prep for an investment into real estate and or do right now.