Hello,All else being equal (other than the 2022 tax abatement for the gray’s ferry property) what area do people think would appreciate more and offer best rents?

This is where I see so many people get caught up and are never able to actually pull the trigger on an investment property.  

I've done this with my properties because I'm well known in my small town and don't want people to know what I own.LEGAL PROTECTION: By placing your assets in an LLC, you are legally separating them from your personal assets.

Yeah, real estate makes a lot of people's eyes glaze over.

You will never see, hear or speak to these people again, no matter how friendly of a person you are.

It seems very appealing to me since healthcare professionals make a decent living and tend to be great people.

Would I contact the previous closing attorney and tell them I need a quit claim deed from the people I technically bought from?

Hi David,(1) I don't have much to invest ($280-$350k) and would want to diversify across different properties anyway (some DSTs are diversified, and I can probably pick up three different DSTs with my proceeds);(2) no direct participation in managing properties (tired of it);(3) illiquidity is not an issue (looking for a 7-10 or longer horizon, will need some cash 8-20 years down the road to fund the kids' college);(4) prefer paper investments in general, would be able to hedge declines in the real estate market with financial instruments (have a Ph.D. in finance and a CFA designation, but a newbie to RE exchanges).

I have been telling people for years now that it is not just ok to buy investment property before your primary residence, but I prefer it. 

But for tech background people from bay area, 2-3 hours different is still okay-ish.You can work from hawaii, no need to wait for retirement.