I understand that I would get penalizes 10%, and I would have to pay tax on the money as extra income, but if I find a real estate investment that has a return of 8-9%, I can have the 10% penalty paid back to me on the first year of owning the property and then I can utilize the future returns right away rather then waiting till I'm 62 with 401K. 

I purchased a quadplex with great returns and I'm holding on for the long run.

Small hacks that can help my returns?

If they were approved by a bank to buy an $850k home last year, now selling that home for a gain, I know them and have positive experiences and believe they have solid character, we were neighbors for a while, their young girls are very sweet (and occasionally very helpful with yard work) ...why would another background check be required?

In the same time frame I can close the sale on a retail center and make 6 figures in commission representing a buyer.Broker highest to lowest return on time:1.

I hope that you have changed the locks and secured your property to prevent anyone else with a key to return.

Recently ran across a multi building, multifamily package deal that promises a great return (by the realtor) to an investor. 

That would still be a very nice return over the long long term, despite a few years upfront of fronting a bit of negative cash flow.Also, another consideration is that any increase in rents caused by inflation can push these from $0 cash flow to positive cash flow.

Ultimately I sold all my out of state rentals simply because the return is very dismal. 

Option 1: invest in multi family housing Pro- semi reliable income- cuts cost on my living expenditures -recession proof (can be argued)Cons- high cost start (for me at least)- first time managingOption 2: Buy land and try to negotiate a development deal Pro-huge reward -can be fast- after deal is done right, I'm hands offCon-very risky especially for intro-no expertise in this field -finding a great deal in hardOption 3: wholesalePro-great return-can be fast-not long term Con-hard to find good deals especially with a full time job -can be a nightmare project-no expertise Please correct me if I have messed up with any of my pros/cons.