I'm gonna assume you do know & I'll pick your brain, gain your confidence, and you'll tell me what I want to know about the deal 8 out of 10 times. 

I drive a 95 nissan pick-up, Paid for, good milege Why spend 50k on a fancy car that will go down in value ( not counting collector vehicles) I would rather spent 50k on a down payment on more real estate for more cash flow

Pick your poison carefully though or it can cause a loss on both sides.

I've heard of mentees who started cleaning up construction areas on a flip at the end of each work day or picking up supplies at Home Depot and delivering them to the job site.

My advice would be try to pick a marketing strategy that is unique if possible.

Hi David,(1) I don't have much to invest ($280-$350k) and would want to diversify across different properties anyway (some DSTs are diversified, and I can probably pick up three different DSTs with my proceeds);(2) no direct participation in managing properties (tired of it);(3) illiquidity is not an issue (looking for a 7-10 or longer horizon, will need some cash 8-20 years down the road to fund the kids' college);(4) prefer paper investments in general, would be able to hedge declines in the real estate market with financial instruments (have a Ph.D. in finance and a CFA designation, but a newbie to RE exchanges).

I just don't know if my family and I should continue to pick up these types of condos with either no return, break even, or low profits.

I’m happy to help pick out the better neighborhoods, send me a PM.

Most property managers will let you pick and choose what you want them to do. 

That's not really my place to say which you pick, but I could make some introductions for you to help you learn more about your options.