I love talking about this stuff and talk to my family about it to DEATH, and would love to network and meet new people that also love talking real estate!

This has worked for the last 25 years ;-)Grand Parkway is a game changer, will be the next Beltway 8 (Sam Houston toll road)

Tree roots are not always the kiss of death for sewer lines.

@Sean Walton  would not mention the foreclosure this is sure to scare them to death..

Only from a self-directed account can you then invest in a real property as an investment.Then, once there is appreciation in that property, you can sell it and invest the proceeds into a like-kind investment - but, there is no need to do that as part of a 1031 exchange because your retirement account is already a tax-deferred account.The whole purpose of 1031 is to defer paying taxes either until you no longer want to be an investor and sell the asset, or until your descendants (who would inherit your investment real estate at whatever value it may be on the date of your death - best case scenario, if you love your descendants, that is) decide to cash out.

I'm scared to death to acquire a second property before I even have a tenant in my first property and with no cash reserves.

Also check death records, probate.

Often times those key words are death, divorce, unemployed, moving, etc.

Finally, because you do not want to limit your asset protection by putting an LLC into a trust (because then it becomes single-member and your asset protection is reduced, you would use a Transfer on Death document that transfers that property into the trust when your parents die, this way while they are alive, they can get maximum asset protection and avoid probate.  

It is unfortunate but often people die and the heirs never hear about it or fail to do anything about the persons death.