My wife and I both have decent paying jobs, but after paying rent, vehicles, student loans, etc, there’s not much left over for saving, let alone 20% down.

Unless of course they were using a SEC vehicle that allowed a certain amount of non accredited. 

We have a local who started as a delivery driver.

Similar to Elecric Vehicles in my mind......sounds great but way too many issues.....I have an off-grid house where I personally installed solar, but the nearest power poles were too far away, and the cost to me to bring power in would have been a huge deal-breaker. 

Both of these challenges can often be minimized with the right team and guidance from an experienced investor.As @Jay Hinrichs mentioned, appreciation is the main driver of wealth in real estate.

You need a company vehicle for the guy to get there.

After you feel confident in understanding real estate as an investment vehicle, decide how you want to begin your investing journey.

Take short-term rentals - they do provide several tax benefits, but they are hard to run and very hard to succeed at so people make the mistake of choosing the tax vehicle, get the benefit, and then lose money on the investment and hate it.

With regard to your "DST" and as with many highly structured tax vehicles that have a potential "self dealing" quality to them, there are a number of potential potholes you can easily step in along the way (e.g., constructive receipt doctrine, effective control over nominal 3rd party relationships, lack of genuine risk bearing and compliance with transactional terms, etc.).

Make sure to work with a forestry professional to ensure sustainable harvesting practices.Rent it for Storage or Equipment: With the rise of RVs, boats, and large equipment, you can rent out part of the land as storage space for these vehicles.