I wanted to sell to put the money in the stock market, so I wasn't a "motivated" seller per se.

We both have a history of investing in the public markets (stock, bond, options, commodities) but were new to direct REI. 

I would suggest looking into other avenues like the stock market, ETF's, bonds, etc. while learning more and monitoring the market for opportunities and continue to save and invest.

To me syndicates are like buying stock, you are not the tail on the dog, but a flea on the tail of the dog. 

I feel I have spent years working on W2 income, investing in the stock market and diversifying, and getting on the right track and staying there financially that I am ready to leverage some money against the future appreciation, value, and cash flow that I am more risk tolerant to put up money in homes that bring a strong future value and promising cash flow.   

You’re right — in the Midwest there’s actually a huge stock of properties that are well over 100 years old.

Without leverage, stocks may have out produced RE for virtually every time period.  

If you have 600k real estate exposure already and are 300-500k net worth, you should build up 50-100k of liquidity somewhere else like stocks/bonds, then consider coming back to real estate.To be clear, right now is a terrible time to invest, anyone saying anything else is a salesman or someone who has experience that you don't have.

But they also come with higher upfront costs and newer systems that might require specialized contractors.For those managing both new construction and older stock:- Do you see a noticeable difference in tenant satisfaction or turnover?

A more realistic comparison is syndication vs meme stocks, since both rely primarily on marketing more then they do underlying fundamentals.