Difficult to know which flavors you prefer when you haven't tasted anything yet.

Management contracts come in many sizes, shapes and flavors depending on the services offered.

I agree that the different "flavors" of real estate are so vast that it can seem daunting and can lead to indecision.

So you can get a good flavor before your sale and be ready to strike as soon your sale concludes.The best way to overcome that 45 day period is to get into contract and even close if possible on all during that 45 day period.  

There are examples in the law that can give you a flavor of just how expansive the State's interpretation of the "doing business" within the State is.

I feel that I've gained more of a flavor of what the out of state options provide and am more equipped to make a decision on whether or not out of state investing lines up with my investor profile after reading through some of the BP forums.Clearly people have made money both ways, but I think its important to figure out what works for you. 

I don't say network because "networking" has lost its flavor with many because most people ask for something for nothing when participating, which is a turn off.

I had similar goals when I started exploring various crowdfunding and alternative investment options a few years ago (though I also wanted to sprinkle in some more speculative angel/venture investments), and ultimately ended up making investments in more than a dozen different platforms across a fairly wide spectrum of asset classes.To the extent you want to make Real Estate a big piece of the Alternatives portion of your portfolio (and if you're looking for income, then that makes a ton of sense), @Ian Ippolito's site is a fantastic resource to help you with your due diligence.While some flavors of equity crowdfunding may not meet your income goals, there's a growing selection of offerings around business financing like revenue shares, receivables financing, and litigation financing as well that may be worth considering.

I have recently started OOS SFR (turnkey flavor) and also seriously looking at Birmingham/surrounding cities in AL.

@Harry MetzingerIf you earn your self-employment income as a sole-proprietor, then so long as you have some flavor of sole-proprietor income in the future, the nature of the income itself can change over time.