Starting out you want to establish a team and visit wherever you go to invest. 

The kindness and humor of the responses is comforting in a field where there is very little down time (currently as I get it established) and you all "get it".

Give me the boring option that promises a modest return all day.Yes ...The problem with syndication mainly twofolds :1. they are targeting newbie investors, many times with financial due diligence unawareness, these newbie investor doesn't know which syndicator has actually good operating company with established vertical or just two three people operation.

As a new real estate investor you have to establish some business goals, if you want to treat it as a business and not a hobby.  

Both careers would see a sharp short term income loss, but once i'm established the money i'll make ought to be comprable to my next year income.

(Only if you are SERIOUS about real estate as your wealth/career vehicle.)Make sure you join a brokerage that is large, established, and has a reputation for top performance and excellent training.Once you learn the basics and get out into the field to see the state of the market, you'll learn the price points and be able to know a good/great deal when you stumble across it.I have made some of my best (most lucrative) buys from meeting with a seller who wants to list, and when we discussed the price, I knew it fit my parameters, so I bought it! 

However, the challenge with MTRs lies in the CC&R (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions) and HOA (Homeowners Association) regulations.To proceed with MTRs, it's crucial to carefully review the CC&R to ensure that leasing out a portion of the lot to tenants is permissible.

You gave me such great advice a lot to consider.

They cannot arbitrarily make wild gambles because they feel like it - they have to operate within established risk parameters that are approved by several regulatory bodies and internal controls.

But that's me.To answer your question, I'm not in the business of recycling dirty money but I think it's pretty well known and established the the proceeds for criminality and the drug trade is invested in all sort of business, especially real estate.