I also have friends who are hedge fund managers and I understand just how rigged that game really is.

Deals that have the kind of cash flow that can enable you to retrieve your 20% must be hard to come by... are you making improvements to refi the cash out?

Rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I would encourage you and other investors to arm yourself with the knowledge that will enable you to use the insurance tool well.

During that year oregon passed a bill that enabled state wide rent control.

DO NOT have any built in tax-shield (no depreciation, no mortgage interest deduction, no property tax deduction, etc.) and therefore benefit most from being invested in through a Roth IRA.Putting it all together, a Self-Directed Roth IRA for tax lien, private lending, notes, etc. may be ideal, giving  you all the tax benefits of a Roth IRA and enabling you to get hands-on real estate experience.

I'm hoping the cash out refi was a good idea - but it enabled me to buy a great place in the Bay area.  

That is precisely what adverse possession laws are designed to enable.  

But I think the bottom line in helping me with my RE career is that my degree has allowed me to earn a comfortable salary which enabled me to get started in investing in RE.

This enables the ‘market’ to return the 10.6%.Now mutual fund managers try to beat that and some do, occasionally.

Technology has enabled communication with a remote CPA through phone calls, emails, skype etc.