Keep your 401k as a safety net for now :).

Also, make sure you really have the numbers right and have a good margin of safety, most investors miss a lot of not so obvious costs in their calculations that eat away at there returns.

We  chase him for three blocks and when almost all hope was lost, the poor puppy stops running.... in the middle of a main avenue and around dozens of cars stopped...I finally was able to grab the poor soul back to safety ....a good deed was done today.

There are Some macro economic reasons why so much money is chasing real estate and thus driving prices up- financing rates are historically cheap and so that lowers cap rates - flight of capital from stock market as folks look for less volatility and more relative ‘safety’- the FED is printing money at an unprecedented rate and it has the effect of inflating asset prices

Now, I'm starting to look at different avenues for a safety blanket to protect myself and family in the event of a furlough in the future.I'm looking forward to networking with many of you, and will be looking at starting out around the Kansas City area. 

If you can't do it all right away prioritize the common areas and try to lose carpet.

I would prioritize finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation over one that is local.There are 20+ accountants on this message board who specialize in real estate taxation.

The appraiser didn't like how several of the outlets were installed and called them a safety issue.

Insurance has a thing about fire where it's kind of prioritized to the top as a type of loss. 

@Kendrique Coats If you find a good deal, in a great area, have a margin of safety, and can weather vacancy/repairs then I would consider investing.