We say when you are in the REIT, "you are in it to win it" but their hold is much much shorter than yours would be at age 41.  

In my state you have to be 19+ years of age or older to enter into a legally binding contract.

You don't know any roofers, so you just pick one out of the yellow pages (yeah, I'm showing my age) and they got 1/2 way done and then went to do another job and it rained, destroying your roof? 

The goal is to have control of my time and make memories with my family - especially while my kids still like me (ages 8 and 10).

It can be physically demanding and as I age I know that I’m not gonna do this for another 20 years!

I'm now trying to put my dreams into practice as the kids are aging out of the house. 

Those businesses can be very lucrative with aging population, and therefore, in theory they should be able to pay you your rent (and I have seen some pay even more monthly for someone to allow it). 

It's great to hear that you're interested in starting your journey in real estate at such a young age.

My family has always been big into investing so I decided to spread my wings and fly on my own at a young age.

I think the transition will be difficult due to the culture clash between the age groups.