Im very new to real estate and trying my best to learn and seek advice.  

There’s a pretty active RE community in Charleston area.

Curtis Waters with Real Estate Realty LLC is a very active investor/broker. 

I respect the wisdom of someone who was actively investing/lending during that time versus a novice who would like to think they have it figured out. 

Real estate syndications are a great way to earn solid returns while not having to actively do anything.

I've come here to seek knowledge and guidance from various individuals on the investing side in tandem with my mentorship/job on the residential luxury side. 

I'm in the Athens area so Atlanta is a bit of a stretch to me, but I'd love to attend some meetings to listen/learn from others if anyone can point me in the right direction - especially the Athens area, as any "groups" I've found are no longer very active.

If I decide later to start a construction business (actively building and selling new spec houses), assuming this is taxed as ordinary income with social security, etc and treating the homes as inventory - if you build a house, then sell it, then spend that money building a second one, but don't sell it until the next year, then sell it, then build another, can you effectively push off the taxes as you are rolling the sale proceeds into new inventory costs / construction costs? 

My wife and I have been actively connecting with wholesalers and realtors and have found success. 

But I haven't met many successful 'self-made' CRE investors who haven't lowered their pain factor, crunched their timeline or increased their learning curve without seeking out a mentor or two on the way.