Ive pretty much done everything myself on buildings besides roofs & tapping/mudding I'm in the trades and have experience with a little bit of everything.

At the same time the SEC is fine with the same individual participating in far riskier investments in public markets (trading options, etc) and your state will sell you as many lottery tickets as you can buy.

The trades were swamped (pun?)

Its much like being on Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability, you don't trade them back dollar for dollar (though the trade is a less generous 2/1 pre-tax).

In the end we are just trading one risk for another.  

You provide the deal, manage the rehab, and the consequent rental.

Hi BP Family,I am a Cyber Security Engineer by trade and I have always had a desire to become a real estate investor.

In Real property trades or businesses paragraph it lists development and construction as two separate trades.

You trade the cash for a deed.

Our sampling size is small but, except for the loss of property value, we experienced no consequence of the housing crisis.