If you are worried about someone trying to muscle you out of your deal or out bid you after your seller signs it you can have them sign it with a notary and have that purchase agreement recorded at the county recorders which would cloud title.

After you know all those laws, I would talk with the seller about notifying the tenant that you will only (this can be done through the contract) be purchasing the property if they evict the tenant in the time period of escrow, and the unit needs to be investigated while in escrow, or you want a reduction in price due to the lack of knowledge of that unit.I have inherited a tenant and California is way different and more strict with tenant/landlord laws than most states, but luckily the tenant left without too much muscle (figuratively speaking).

I would like to lay out a scenario, and see you guys flex your BP muscles and show me the way. 

Following is some information regarding the self-directed IRA and the Solo 401k which can both be invested into real estate.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k Similarities Both were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions;Both are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m); andThe Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (self-directed IRA LLC) must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2015; the solo 401k contribution limit is $53,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

Still figuring it out and working on setting the goals.

I also plan on setting up a couple of LLCs in 2018, so if you have any recommendations on a good real estate attorney for that (doesn't need to be local/Hawaii), I would appreciate it! 

This is just alSadr pumping his muscle and speaking out.We'd likely have had similar protests here in the US, but with the advent of the internet, people just protest via forums and blogs instead of hitting the streets.50,000 people on the street is much more impressive than 50,000 people expressing their views via the pen.

The LLC business name is made up and i plan on setting up a LLC once i get sound advice on which type of corporation to set up.

If I'm not meeting the goal I set for myself at onset, I try to find the gap, or seek to put my money in a better investment.If you paid 40k or less for your properties, they're renting for $900 a month, you've got about 50% of that set-a-side for each property for various expenses per month (roughly...I'd like to do more...but lets start at 50%), you're paying all your bills, taxes, running correct and appropriate systems -- you should be good.

So I thought while I’m away from home I can work my way through some topics that interest me here in Biggerpockets and perhaps do some due diligence on setting up a plan to move forward.