Instead of tying up your retirement funds, tapping into financing specifically designed for real estate investors can keep your portfolio diversified and your retirement intact.Leveraging your 401(k) is your personal decision, but framing it within the broader context of balancing risk, liquidity, and opportunity cost can clarify whether it’s the best tool for your goals.

@Drew SygitOh, I forgot to ask - any free tool recommendations for determining the various classes of neighborhoods in different regions?

Money left over should be placed in reserves until you have an appropriate safety net for your particular portfolio.

Do better rehabs.  100% agreed mate,Safety comes in the volume.Something that I've "preached" for many years.It's not worth the time, money or even risk buying 1 or 2 or even 3 properties unless an investor has a growth type mindset and a will to scale to 10+.It's very simple, you own 1 and it goes vacant.That's a 100% impact on your income.You own 10 and 1-2 to go vacant.That's only a 10-20% impact on your income.It's also a very high likelihood that problems will always exist with 1 or 2 properties at any given moment...Plus, such markets (Ohio and Michigan) don't appreciate as much as many others like a Texas and Florida for example.Michigan and Ohio are slow movers and only recently (10+ years later) caught up to some of the other "higher flying" markets from a yearly growth percentage.Much success

We are fair housing compliant regarding animals.Our tenants’ safety and the peaceful enjoyment of their home is important to us, so we do a credit/criminal background check on all applicants aged 18+, as well as employment and prior landlord verifications.

Be sure to check out the free tools BP provides to help analyze deals you may have and also market insights.

I'm developing an AI-enabled analysis and lead generation tool for REI.  

There are several hurdles during the process:Find the deal - Unless you are marketing or plugged into a community where there are opportunities, it isn't always easy to find the right dealsEvaluate the deal - Without professional guidance and research tools, it is difficult for a newbie investor to evaluate and ARV/FMV or create an adequate rehab budgetSecondary exit strategies - If things don't go as planned are their other opportunities to exit profitably.

Provide transparency so neither party feels “tricked” into a deal.Offer tools like secondary markets for token holders to sell their income rights if they wish to exit.The aim is to facilitate fair, mutually beneficial agreements—not to worsen deals for either side.This idea is designed for specific types of property owners (long-term holders who need liquidity) and investors (those seeking passive real estate income without ownership complexities).There are risks, like any financial agreement, but with proper transparency, legal safeguards, and investor education, it can work as a niche alternative to traditional real estate investing.Would love to hear your thoughts on what else might need to be clarified or improved in such a proposal. sounds like you have already convinced yourself this is the next big thing, so let us know in a few years how it goes. 

I was building a new laundromat in the best retail area of our town when our job site got its tools and copper robbed for the second time.