RE has traditionally been a inflation hedge ... 2% The past 15 years was an anomaly pushed by low interest rates and COVID 

I am also not looking for investors that think that every deal is going to make them rich.

Median asking prices in 2024 are at $734,950, an increase of about $35,000 from last year.As small multi-family investors in Queens and Nassau get outpriced, they, like traditional homeowners, tend to travel East or North.

Sounds like you don't have a traditional 1st mortgage on your primary residence, you just have a 1st position HELOC.

You might want to listen to some of the BP podcasts on some of the other ways that real estate "pays" you, outside of cashflow.Keith Weinhold from Get Rich Education also has a good podcast and regularly discusses the 5 different ways that real estate pays you. 

With 2 kids and a third in the near future, we're looking to move again in the next 2-3 years.We have around $15k savings, $45k traditional IRA and $20k in other investments. 

It's what I use on STRs and traditional rentals too.

Check out Jonathon & the land riches blueprint & Seth & REI Tipster. 

Traditionally, the courts give a lot more weight to what actually happened over what is written on paper.

What is funny from all investment, either real estate or anything else, is how correlate they are to bond which is very correlated to Fed policy.I meant, Fed could make one guy become rich or poor in different year.