Bear in mind, you're not investing in a retirement account to take advantage of tax deductions, as there are no taxes.   

Everything went really well except for the fact that they sold the loan to a hedge fund before closing and the hedge fund's fees were added to the loanguys fees and it all added up quite a bit so I changed my mind at the closing table and used a private lender that is friends with the closing attorney. 

I would like to connect with like minded individuals.

Reinvesting proceeds into either real estate syndications or rental real estate directly comes to mind.

Nobody in their right mind is lending 90% on investment..Sell the thing or bring in cash. 80% Max LTV.

As for vehicle vs RE, I agree this was a vehicle but the peace of mind was unrelated. 

It seems like I need to check further away from the DMV area.My feelings are if you want “cash flow” you should buy a bond (I really like the tips rate right now) there is next to no reason to buy real estate for cash flow, if you are going to buy you should buy with appreciation in mind, which is not to say that’s the route I’d go, I’ve been liquidating properties to put in stocks and money market funds over the last few years and u just did the math and I’ve come out well ahead, but just to say there are arguments for stocks/bonds, there are arguments for levered appreciation, but the cap rates pretty much anywhere aren’t worth it vs an inflation protected bond, especially since a 3/rd of inflation is real estate anywhere, you could get “cash flow” and inflation protection much easier through a tips.

You will find like minded investors, vendors, private money…etc. good luck!

From my experience working with over 400 investors, avoid transferring your home into an LLC (it can trigger loan issues), be mindful of capital gains taxes when selling, and ensure your debt-to-income ratio allows for your next purchase.

It would lead to less conversions, just keep that in mind.