If you buy somewhere local you can keep an eye on it, or go inspect the property very easily, etc.  

I stick with gas for cooking, as the temperature is more easily controlled.

If you were to personally borrow from your 401k, you could not combine that money with an IRA on a project as that would be self-dealing.I'm not sure where/how you setup your IRA, but if the firm you are working with cannot easily navigate you through what I have described above (which unfortunately, may be the case), then you might want to look for an alternative provider.

Though screens can tear easily under the weight of a child, every little bit helps.Might also be for health reasons as well to keep flying insects out which might carry disease or might be a nuisance or an annoyance.My $0.02...

Jenny is very impressive and I'm not easily impressed.

Victor - All the wall and ceiling hairlines can be easily patched.

If your going to do sandwich lease options on someone else property you need to really ensure you're doing things right, otherwise you could easily have 2 parties (seller & buyer) suing you.

Replacing a roof or extra heavy snowfall could easily eat up any potential profits.

Never attempt to time the market as it changes too easily. 

Crowdfunding makes real estate easily accessible, however, in regard to institutional/syndicated real estate investments, the advice of an expert who works in the industry every day, knows all the players and their track records, and performs due diligence on each offering is a great benefit to the client and comes at no extra cost.