For example, a property in San Diego may lose $500 per month ($6,000 per year) but gain $60,000 per year in value, making it worthwhile to "lose" money each month in exchange for long-term gains.I recommend you start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free).

You can still do a 1031 exchange foreign to foreign asset.  

Your project will never turn out as good as it should because you are subject to what the stores have in stock at that very moment.3.

@Tyler Speelman, A 1031 exchange solves the tax issue. 

Properties are not like stocks where After IPO the market cap is so large that that most of the life changing appreciation is gone. 

Your reinvestment targets for a 1031 exchange would have you purchasing $700K of replacement real estate using all $500K of equity. 

I am now at a point in life where I realized retirement isn’t far off and I need to find something outside of stock markets and 401k’s to invest in.

Be mindful of short-term capital gains tax, as profits from flips held for less than a year are taxed as ordinary income, and frequent flipping may result in self-employment taxes.While profits from flips do not qualify for 1031 exchanges (since flips are considered inventory, not investment properties), you can minimize your tax burden by deducting allowable expenses like renovation costs, loan interest, and holding expenses.If you're considering diversifying into rentals, explore opportunities to benefit from long-term tax advantages such as depreciation and lower long-term capital gains rates.

Two other things to note about #401kloans:Possible benefit if the stock market turns south, the money outstanding against your 401k loan is no longer invested into the market! 

I have a couple of funding options on the table and I’d love to hear your thoughts:Funding Approach: I have capital partners who are willing to fund 100% of the project in exchange for 50% of the profits.