Quote from @Chris Seveney: Quote from @Robert Adams: As we move into February, the Las Vegas real estate market is showing positive signs of recovery after the holidays and the conclusion of the presidential election cycle.

Or maybe even the "Commercial Real Estate" forum.  

Quote from @David Sotomayor: Im getting into fix and flip real estate and working with a private lender who requires a higher credit score than mine to qualify.

Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.2.

As small businesses, securing funding can be a real challenge.

Also, about seeing a property in person:  I have found local real estate agents, who are willing to go out and take photos and email to you, for a modest fee.

But ya have to make some educated prognostications in life.Add this to the information your processing - What your talking about doing is eliminating around $4000 or interest expense (which is deductible anyway so really could be a real impact of eliminating $2800 or so) of debt in exchange for paying over $10K in capital gains tax (don't forget possible state gains tax as well).  

Based on what you shared you are not financially qualified to own real estate.

I have been devouring books by Brandon Turner to get a better grasp on a macro view of the theories of real estate investing .

This works with any type of appreciating property such as real estate, stocks, etcDepending on the appreciation rate, you can potentially see asset values double every 7-14 years.Likely around 7 years if the appreciation rate is 8%Likely around 14 years if the appreciation rate is 4%If you buy something for $100,000 and it appreciates to $200,000, you can potentially take a loan on the $100,000 appreciation which would not be considered a taxable event.However, be mindful that you are paying interest on the loan and you have to payback the loan but yes, it would not add on to your taxable income.