Because  real estate isnt an instant liquidity investment, meaning you cant quickly sell off like you could a stock if things dont go well, I like to earn more on it.

As an aspiring investor, it’s so cool (for me at least) to see & hear of these stores

When rates are high you can charge higher rates, offer short term loans (12 months) and have some liquidity and make a decent return

With no liquidity and  no say but lots of fees I've always wondered why.  

My instincts say go for mixed use with a couple of stores on the bottom and apartments above.

The home was purchased for 525k after getting into a bidding war, and we've put in about 150k of our own liquid (also using a loan) to do some renovations and updates.

The problems I've had with these ambitions is either too much risk and not enough reward (Opening a computer repair store) or risking missing out on an opportunity because of lack of experience or not enough education (Becoming a VP, since currently all I have to offer education wise are books that I've read and a high school diploma.

I shred all of the paperwork after scanning and storing on an encrypted office network.

In my research, I have come across a common complaint: lack of liquidity. 

Many stores now run cash through counterfeit detection machines and call the police when they find any.Many stock brokerages stopped taking or giving cash in the 1980s when Congress passed the "know thy customer" laws to crack down on money laundering.