I have everything with State Farm; all rentals, commercial umbrella, primary, vehicles, etc.

How do you handle tenants doing drugsHow do you handle noise complaintsHow do you handle vehicle violationsHow do you keep a tenant long term?

I also own all of my vehicles so I have no car payments and low insurance.

Real estate seems to be the best vehicle to financial freedom, and to allow the time for more meaningful work such as volunteering or being more involved in the community.I've reached out to a few local investors to make some connections, but hope to continue to expand that circle. 

If you are in the 30% tax bracket and put in $10,000 of your own funds and you company matches that, you have effectively earned roughly $13,000 right off the top, as opposed to you being able to put $7,000 after-tax direct into your own bank account outside of the IRA.Even if the investment options of the employer plan are not great, as a savings vehicle and means to squirrel away some good tax-sheltered savings, it can be a powerful tool.If the company is contributing to an IRA (SEP or SIMPLE), you can ask to house your account in a self-directed IRA that you could then invest into things like real estate, notes, and the like. 

vacancy is an imaginary cost that you estimate upfront to ensure your investment can sustain itself and actually make money. you do not need to put aside any amount of money every month, as long as you have a reserve account with enough to cover your mortgage payment when the time comes. to make life easier, some investors will put this percentage aside every month to fund their reserve account, but it truly can come from your pocket, a line of credit, or any other vehicle you use.

I would keep working the numbers backwards from where you want to be, and ROI needed in regards to the contributions to the vehicle you are using to get there.

On one of the podcasts I remember hearing how u could buy properties in a self directed IRA and was wondering if anyone had any experience doing so in a TSP (thrift savings plan) as this is her savings vehicle for her employment.

What is the vehicle traffic count in front of the center?

I think it does matter with insurance- vehicle and home/landlord policies.