If you are looking to grow and get into REI in a big way, aren't afraid of a bit of risk, want to be actively involved and don't mind getting your hands dirty, I would encourage you to buy multi-families in C/D areas. 

In that case a failure could take a long time to bounce back from versus a doctor worth 1.4 million but making 800k a year and net worth is growing fast.No legal advice given.  

There are always a lot of fees with lending, but nothing out of the ordinary! 

Nashville is growing so fast and the market is “hot”.

Its at a point now where I could  probably sell and walk out with $20k after selling expenses. its in a growing suburban area so I would like to keep it for a long term investment and hopefully sell 15 or 20 years from now where I could hopefully have much more equity and walk out from closing with much more cash.

@Skye Anderson If it has any metal at all it magically grows legs and walks off while the house is vacant.

And it makes it much easier to learn, fail and grow.

Make sure it's in an area that is growing in population and jobs otherwise run away.

You could create an investment opportunity for someone else and grow your net worth without deploying your own funds.Just a thought...

Notes sound like a good idea as well but I have not got the time to dive very deep into learning about them yet.Here is some of the things I have done in the past month.I have read the books Rich Dad Poor Dad, Cash Flow Quadrant, Think and Grow Rich, Rich Dads Guide to Investing, Face the Fear Factor by Jack Miller, Flip Deals by Jackie Lange, and 5 Best Ways to Make Money with Real Estate.