I feel that I understand that process pretty well now, so I'm interested in getting into commercial properties, unconventional financing, and networking to broaden my exposure to greater opportunities.   

This gives you the best of both worlds, it still let's your money work for you but also limits your families exposure should you pass on. 

Hopefully my past experience, as well as my current exposure from a newbie perspective, will be beneficial to someone here also.  

It shall limit your exposure to lawsuits significantly.

You balance income and capital appreciation returns while diversifying your portfolio with exposure to multiple RE sectors. 

Get some exposure in the industry now so you can shape what YOUR goals are then get on the path that leads to them.Please don't hesitate to message me, I'm only a few years out of school so I understand your perspective.

You may have some real exposure if there was/is a lease and the city won't allow you to use the place as a residence.  

Some areas are in a flood zone, some will have more hail exposure than others.

It's free to join and attend.If you're just starting out, I would go to both each month to double your exposure to people and topics related to real estate investing.

Rowe Price Real Estate Fund and the Fidelity Real Estate Investment Portfolio.Real Estate Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): Similar to real estate mutual funds, these funds track an index of real estate-related securities, providing diversified exposure to the real estate sector.