Also because our daughter needed a room for going to college so that was our trigger to start investing.

I'm in Austin and have been eyeing those courses with Gene for months now but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

And don't get discouraged, it's hard to find a property that works, but keep at it, and keep running the calculator and when you find a place that does work, you'll have the confidence to pull the trigger.

If we should just keep it small for our first property and let the investments do their thing or pull the trigger on a multi and shift things around if it comes up? 

What are the trigger points. 

That injured person has no recourse for that injury, so there only recourse becomes suing the property owner and they will!

And personally I cannot pull the trigger on a turnkey operator.

If the 401k is with a previous employer then you can move it to a self directed IRA, from which you can invest in real estate without triggering a withdrawal.   

(Edit: Just noticed you posted your email above, I'll reach out via email later this week.)Since intermittent housing isn't an issue, and I have the cash to make a down payment, I can technically begin pulling the trigger on both buying and selling anytime.

I guess it was this newfound investor's mindset triggering me forward...I definitely have a few years to calculate my father's decision (and mine), and in the meantime I look forward to tackling the current task at hand.