I've consulted with attorneys / CPA's here and for me personally, using a good umbrella policy and no LLC's has been sufficient. 

If your return for investing in another property is greater than 8.5%, than it would be beneficial to invest rather than pay off the debt (would want a sufficient cushion above 8.5% to justify the added risk and work of investing in another property vs simply paying off debt). 

I do think having a sufficient emergency fund is vital before investing in anything (stocks, real estate, retirement accounts, etc).

How anybody could do a job like that and be able to sleep at night is beyond my comprehension.

Fixed or capped floating exposure, staggered maturities, and enough liquidity to sleep well.What to avoid• Chasing a high cap rate in weak submarkets.

It will get a bit abused (entertaining guests and used for overnight sleeping).

Do you need that 5th bedroom or are you flexible that you will rent it too if you can and figure out where you sleep for a month or a year. 

Gotta make this deadline so I've decided today I'm going to sleep at the jobsite.

More than any other business, deciding to invest in a real estate syndication is a declaration of faith in the deal sponsor.In many ways, that faith far outweighs the faith owners of Tesla shares must have in Elon Musk.And Musk is a one in a generation entrepreneurial genius inventor.Like many seasoned real estate investors,I decided long ago that wealth-building was a life-long game of patience and perseverance.On both counts,a real estate syndication fails the test.Most syndicated deals have a hold period of 3-7 years after which the exit strategy involves selling.The few that attempt to hold on to the asset via a refinance run into uncooperative investors who demand their seed capital back for various reasons,often resulting into a compromise to either buy them out or risk a legal battle.The facts of the matter are very basic:if it's not your deal,you don't make the big calls.Conversely,if it's not your money,you don't get to decide it's final destination.Now there's a good reason I never got into the flipping niche either.I'm not a transactional guy.It always felt like slaughtering the hen that lays my eggs,and I love my eggs to bits every time they are laid.It's why I keep going back to the hen.In the end,we don't need 1000 units to achieve financial freedom,we just need a handful of well acquired cash flowing assets to arrive at that place of peace.With some patience and due diligence,most people can get there without sleeping with 75 strangers every 3 years only to end up with no portfolio and a bagful of inflation susceptible cash with little to no tax advantages.That's where we did not want to be in the first place.If you do succumb to the temptation and end up being one of the few deal sponsors that actually look the part and take care of investors' money like it's yours,do make sure you haven't "quit" one job that you hate just to work in another that is even more soul-crushing.Managing multiple syndicated deals as a good deal sponsor can be big business,and big businesses can very easily turn into time-devouring leeches.Covid has shown us all we are nowhere near capable of seeing 3 months ahead,let alone 3 or 7 years.An asset is only really worth what the next buyer is willing to pay for it,no matter how much "forced appreciation" we have projected to investors in a rent drop environment.When balloon payments come due,thou shall sell or refinance,and good luck refinancing if the LTV is suddenly inverted.When the pieces suddenly don't fit the puzzle in front of us,the sinking feeling in the bottom of the stomach can be incredibly gut wrenching.Be careful.A voice in the wilderness,Jacksonville FL.

I would not lost even a minute of sleep if VOO drops overnight.