That is one of the most incredible benefits of being in the service. 

So investors who want to sign a contract on a property before it even hits the market can benefit from networking with real estate attorneys.

You get all the great benefits of owning real estate, without the hassle of tenants and dealing with the problems that always happen when you own real estate.

You should consider investing in RE outside your retirement account as well since there are different tax benefits available.  

Aside from the Debt-to-income ratio and risk benefits you've already mentioned, it also just helps keep everything organized.

A restaurant or café with outdoor dining could thrive in this environment (there are not so many around the area), benefiting from the steady local traffic while also enhancing the appeal of the residential units.

So the benefit to investing in a note fund is that with no additional exposure, investors get access to a consistent return with less liability.Best,Dave

Trying to bend the rules will always come back to get you and could end up costing you more at the end of the day than any benefits you gain from it.

Renting it out would let you keep the asset, earn some extra cash, and possibly benefit from tax deductions like depreciation.

But then on the positive side you've got the amortization of that loan, the tax benefit of depreciation and whatever appreciation there is.