@Jonah Hartsburg Lol, it must be a pretty popular deal.

Many investors have found success by self-directing their IRAs or 401(k)s to invest in alternative assets, and one of the most popular assets is real estate.

If you end up purchasing a property far away, you'll have to either find trustworthy tenants who will take care of the property for you (mow the lawn, keep the place clean, let you know when issues arise) or you'll have to hire a property manager, which just eats into your profits.  

I need to pull some money out for personal use and as I’m doing it I’m thinking about freeing up some cash so I can invest back into real estates as opportunities arise in short future as people expect. 

Gardner is growing in popularity.

If the opportunity arises , I would 100% do a house hack.

I know they're popular in California but definitely not in Northern MI. 

I've seen that LLCs are a popular topic on the BP forums and have read through many discussions on the pros and cons of forming them for a first property, transferring loans to an LLC, etc.

On one hand it seems like an effective tool to protect against loss of rent situations and to have capital on hand when new opportunities arise. 

@Elandrous PeoplesDriving for dollars is one of the most popular ways.