Being a real estate professional allows you to treat the income as non-passive, allowing higher high income tax payers to pay less in taxes.

Both generate passive income streams without you having to clock in at a 9-to-5.🏗️ Building Equity While Others PayWhen your tenant pays rent, they're helping you pay down your mortgage - building your equity.

He is nearing retirement. 

I'm passionate about real estate and how utilizing this asset class can enable me to build generational wealth and retire early.

Quote from @Ryan Pham: Is there a reliable way for to est income of a furnish / short term / airbnb  incomevs long time income ( I know this can be est looking at comparable posting in same area )I have a 3 bed / 1 bath small townhome ( hoa approved ) I like to try to fully furnish and do airbnb / fully furnish rentalThis unit is 1 mile from Banner Desert Medical Center ( traveling nurse ?

The majority of my income comes from my rental portfolio.

Financial freedom isn't simply about replacing your current income, because inflation continuously drives up prices, making a fixed income insufficient to maintain your standard of living.

I'm just beginning but am considering a bigger commitment in the next five years or so by accessing some or even all retirement funds to buy a building (I'm sure people have thoughts on whether or not that is a good idea!).

Quote from @Raghavendra Jakkani: The tenant should provide proof of income that doesn't require detective work.

I have a good FT job in education administration, but I want to retire asap, focusing on RE (so, not really retiring, but you get the idea).