I think it greatly depends on your strategy.

Whether you should take a retirement distribution or not depends on several factors1) How much do you value the freedom/flexibility to ues the money NOW compared to when you are 60 years old.2) What type of return can you get having cash vs investing in an IRA / SDIRA.If you can make a 1% - 2% better annual return in your personal name, it may make sense as the added return will pay for the penalties over a couple of years.I personally cashed out of my retirement account back in 2016 and it was the best decision I made.

All depends on the operator, the segment there playing in. 

Finally, depending on the use and if they were ever given any permission then there may be no claim.

Actually fairly common, depending on what you're looking for property wise going forward. 

A basement conversion could make sense (either STR or LTR depending on how much work/headaches you are willing to take on).

Depending on where you live this is not a great time to rent in my area. 

Josh Duncan Josh it depends on your comfortability level but I have been taking out 401K loans to fund my real estate and personally I love it. 

It could vary of course depending on the defenses of the tenant and if the court is presently backlogged.

Maybe it can help you in your specific situation, it depends.