Know what your local laws that might come into play are.

Its nice to know that there is such an active investor community in my area.

If you feel that you are stuck I would recommend going to a real estate meet up where you would interact with active real estate investors.

The state these are in also plays a major role as in some states you just be licensed to be the mortgage holder etc.

Justin, You can rollover your 401k into self-directed IRA, but not into HSA, which is Health Savings Account and not a retirement plan.There are several reputable providers here on BiggerPockets who are active on the forum, just search the forum for related keywords and you will find out who they are.

Active duty army ( SGT ) Deployed currently.

Of course some of us (looking at you Jay...ok, me too ;) aren't just in this to create retirement income, this is a career, so there's more of a cyclic, upward momentum where leverage and cash purchases each play a part.

Things like zoning and section 8 ratios can play a factor.

My husband and I are both active duty and stationed in Everett, we have just started investing locally but hope to expand our business. 

In 2008 I lost my son in an auto accident ( and in 2006 i lost my nephew in another auto accident) and i really slowed down my investment activities.