My wife and I like the idea of living in a downtown environment.  

While the property made for a great place to live and a good rent free environment it was not necessarily the one I would have purchased solely on investment merits.

The fact that you can still use those funds to buy investment property using tax-deferred environment makes the first option even less appealing.I would suggest you you explore the option of using truly self-directed Solo 401k instead of SD IRA.

Typically, they are 25 minutes from downtown Golden, and are at higher elevations which are in a more rural environment and sometimes have dirt roads.

However, suburbia itself is undergoing a transformation, with many initiatives, both public and private sector, both large and small, leading a a more town like environment - something like what the small towns surrounding large cities were like in the first half of the 20th century.  

Hello everyone.I read countless of posts and articles online about investing in real estate, but I can't find anything that is related to my current situation. I'm hoping that the wisdom of this community can give me ...

If you want cash flow, I would say go towards a debt fund in todays environment.

At least within the 'city' and surrounding environs you can rent a flop house at an outrageous price or look for something for months that is both affordable and nice.

If you recommend a city outside of the US, can you also comment on the financing environment in that locale and how difficult it would be for a US investor to make a purchase there?

I'm in Texas and there is good opportunity here with relatively cheap prices, better economy, better job and population growth, and a pro business environment.