REIA's are great for entertainment and exposure to those selling dreams and stuff - but they will not move you forward fast enough.You give me the impression of being impatient and want to reach your financial goal - maybe before you even have them.I too know many of those 7 figure income people and own a unit in Manhattan and other states.Those 7 figure income people got where they are by making right decisions - they have the ability to see right through a novice and a bad or unprofitable deals and have the ability to dismiss an individual without mercy!

Occupancy, Preservation, Maintenance and Protection of the Property:Borrower shall occupy, establish, and use the Property as Borrower's principal residence within sixty days after the execution of this Security Instrument (or within sixty days of a later sale or transfer of the Property) and shall continue to occupy the Property as Borrower's principal residence for at least one year after the date of occupancy, unless Lender determines that requirement will cause undue hardship for Borrower, or unless extenuating circumstances exist which are beyond Borrower's control.

Each offer must include a renovation plan detailing your plans to restore the property and your financial investment.  

I an currently in financing, I'm an assistant branch manager at a financial institution.

Ok, I'm wanting to get into buy & hold but either I am at the state of 'analysis paralysis' or I am not really financially ready to do it.  

Almost all short sales forgive the remaining balance, but the owner needs to "qualify" for the short sale due to a financial hardship, not simply just being upside down on the mtg.

Likely they will stay below 5% for the next 12 months and depending on the Presidential election and who gets elected, they could stay below 5% for considerably longer.Eventually in 4-8 years, they will be back to 6-6.5% which is where the financial system hums right along.  

There is also repair expenses, closing costs, business license (possibly), LLC fees maybe, Insurance to protect you from claims made by tenants, vacancy and there are other expenses I'm sure I'm forgetting.  

Additionally, there is an annual $800 filing fee for each CA LLC (each year), not to mention the additional administrative requirements that must be adhered to to ensure full liability protection, and then finally the hassle of the LLC filings themselves.That seems to be a fairly significant burden to incur on a property by property basis since these are only single family rental properties that generate only about 35k in rents a year.

@Dan KrupaFollowing are the similarities and differences between the solo 401k and the self-directed IRA.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k Similarities Both were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions;Both are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m); andThe Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (IRA LLC) must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2016; the solo 401k contribution limit is $53,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)