What luxury!

If you can, you can take advantage of a SDIRA (self directed IRA), and at a minimum of involvement from you invest in a REIT, most of which can provide returns of AT LEAST 8% and some over 14%.You can also loan money out from your SDIRA and earn money that way, but you have to be educated about vetting the borrower with regards to their creditworthiness and their experience at real estate investing.If you're more interested in being involved in your real estate investment, you can make over 20%, but that route requires A LOT of education as well as personal involvement in the management of your real estate holdings.If you can't do anything tax-deferred with the annuity, it might not be worth it because of the taxes you would have to pay upon the withdrawal of the money to move it to another account.I agree with @Max Kim about your financial adviser recommending the annuity for more personal reasons, or just for the fact that he might take an ultra conservative view given your age and your goals.I'd be interested to know what your adviser / annuity representative says about the options for moving funds out of annuity. 

Downtown Phoenix has just been exploding recently with new luxury apartment complexes. 

Should I replace the floor in the kitchen/dining area as well, which has a few small nicks in it, but otherwise is in good condition  My agent estimated it has another 5 years of life in it.OPTION 1)  Replace living room flooring only - approx $1800 - ($1100 materials, $700 labor), then replace the kitchen/dining room floor down the line.ProsLess expensive up front.Get 5 additional years out of the kitchen/dining vinyl, which is not at the end of its useful life.ConsLabor costs for installing downstairs floors will be higher in the long run with two separate installs ($1000 labor for all downstairs at once, likely $1400+ labor for two separate installs).Floors will be different in the living room (luxury vinyl wood plank) and kitchen/dining rooms (a vinyl "tile") both now and when I replace the kitchen/dining floors down the line. 

You can go from luxury rentals to strong appreciation plays to focus on cash flow and ROI with little capital.

You're acting almost like a luxury service.

My move into real estate investment was a bid for freedom, not a bid for luxury.

The one thing I spent a little extra on is the luxury vinyl tile.

Ic an remember a time where it was a huge luxury LOLgood luck,Chris

If this has spread to ultra conservative Utah, what must be going on in more liberal, relaxed states?