A smart real estate play will always out perform what you are gaining on your retirement plan even after penalty and tax.

Which is fine but flies in the face of the goal of many/most investors.What they fail to understand is that 30 years of high leveraged income will far out perform paid off property equity.

This is often where a property can outperform the paper and yet the place sounds very likely to have high turnover and tenant issues at that rental rate.

The indexers have outperformed almost all actively managed funds focused on industry niches.

A recent study of returns since the late 1800s found that unleveraged residential real estate outperformed the stock market on a risk-adjusted basis.

If you feel that the overall mix of security and income production of a rental property will outperform what your IRA is generating today in conventional assets, then it is a good move. 

Like the last depression, SFH is outperforming MF.

While yours would not have the mortgage payment to make, a good leveraged deal will generally out perform a cash deal.Second, you will have to save up an equal or greater sum for your next property.

Investing in these places in South Dallas may in fact be the best option, but in general anytime you're expecting to feed the beast you need to also be expecting appreciation - forced or otherwise - to make it an outperforming investment. 

There will be ups and downs and market swings based on both internal and external factors beyond our control but I expect your home will continue to outperform inflation rates.