If you and your family are willing to house hack and use either an FHA 203k or homestyle renovation loan, the path of least resistance with the lowest risk, in my opinion.If you didn't want to house hack you could try a live-in-flip with those same loan programs! 

Always the same canned answer when asking for pics/updates "holiday, weather." 

Outdoor space. 

Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and we understand that such adjustments can be unsettling.The reason for our decision was this: Due to economic conditions our investments suspended and/or delayed distributions, and out of an abundance of caution we chose to act expeditiously and with conviction to convert everyone so that the temporary storm can be weathered and everyone comes out the other side.I understand that this might not be immediately apparent, but we decided to implement these changes after careful consideration and analysis to ensure the long-term stability and sustainability of our business, which we believe will ultimately benefit all our investors.We fully recognize that you might have additional questions, and we are more than willing to address them in the coming weeks.Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

There will still be a lot of people that are resistant, but stroking a landlord's ego and asking for their backstory and what they recommend to enter into investments is a great way to meet people.

Think the unseasonably cold weather may have something to do with it.

Why the resistance to showing her you do own these properties? 

Pros: Diverse job market, low unemployment, great resilience during recessions, nice appreciation, 1% rule can be hit if you look hard enough, great economy, good schools, Midwest nice.Cons: Extreme weather at times (hot/humid summers, tornadoes/hail, brutal cold in Jan/Feb), high insurance premiums, property taxes also really high.

You can have an extra large garage on this level, plus some storage, maybe even some covered outdoor living space.

Also the fatal flaw with books is they're written at a point in time, which means they are not necessarily related to today.Still can learn a thing or two, but I would resist the urge to follow the book that hard.