It's not the sexy part of the job, but there are a few very key benefits of it.

If you are not adding value with direct owned real estate, you will get higher returns with passive investing in syndications (IRR in the mid teens).You find sponsors and offerings by networking...here on BP (it's why I have 1700 posts), listening to podcasts, REI meetings, some registered investment advisors have them, crowdfunding sites. 

Thank you all and for your patience if y'all ever have a "parenting your teen" question, it's on me!

I work full time at a non-profit for at-risk inner city teens.

That's a play there, but land is so expensive now that unless you buy it years in advance, your upside potential is going to be limited.You might have some luck with manufactured park development as there's a growing need for that product, yet it's not sexy and so no one focuses on it.

Now that we are in our 40s and have teens we want to find an area that isn't literally freezing for 3 months out of the year and a place with a population bigger than 300. 

That continued through my teens and young twenties and I’d always say how I wanted to marry a man who wants to do the same so we can have a family business and not work for “the man.”

Flipping is one of the riskiest paths in real estate but the most popular because it's sexy and gets the spotlight.

The "carry trade" is sexy until it destroys your balance sheet.Short term, high value add deals that you can refi would be my strategy although in most cases  I wouldn't risk my home to do it.If you can live with a permanently higher payment then do a cash out refi and keep your powder dry for the opportunity with solid yield.If I sound like I'm speaking martian right now then don't move forward!

. $80k is a super sexy pricepoint, but coming up with the money on this deal is the only really "easy" part that I can see.