Hi @Rose White!

Looking to get the ball rolling on building a portfolio in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and curious about what others would do in my shoes.

Until expectations are reset and rose-colored glasses are removed, way more people will continue to fail than prosper. 

@Kendenn Rose Hey Kendenn, pleasure you meet you!

One of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of annuities is that they are so complicated it is hard for clients (or myself) to understand them fully.If I were in your shoes I would call the annuity company and ask them to explain what each of the values in the statement mean and what you should expect to receive.You'll probably want to stretch the IRA over your life expectancy.

It wasn't until I had an old friend Justine Fey and  his wife Amber Rose reach out to me to do some repairs to a house they owned which had damage done to it from a kitchen fire started by a tenant.It was nice catching up with Justin because him and I both had a real  passion and love of Real Estate from a young age after High School...and so in catching up after so many years,  I decided gave them a really heavy discount on the repairs I had done.

@Rose White

I quickly put myself on my tenant's shoes and ask myself the question.

If in your shoes, I'd probably try to have the escrow account removed entirely.

If I were in your shoes I'd be focusing on Syndications, Turnkeys, and Note funds.