The home doesn’t burn but the surrounding neighborhoods and town does, severely decreasing the value of our home3.

If you have one of the older, turn of the century mid town houses, you are probably getting somewhere around 1600-2000 depending on the condition of the home, availability of a garage, etc.It is an older home, from the 40s I believe.

Now, it’s time to explore the various methods of investing.

Now that was a side of real estate that I hadn’t explored.

Jardin, with that price point you're aiming for and cash on hand, I would definitely recommend staying in your state and even the town you're in.

Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

And while a 1031 exchange isn’t an option, some people explore alternatives like installment sales to spread out taxes or even tweaking the investment structure so your returns are treated as interest instead of equity.There are definitely some creative strategies out there. 

To minimize upfront costs, explore down payment assistance programs, creative financing strategies like seller financing, or rent-to-own agreements. 

Hey Matt,With $50K in a self-directed IRA, there are several strategies you could explore to generate both short- and long-term returns, depending on your risk tolerance and investment goals.

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.