Am I too old to get started? What is a realistic plan for me?

[Sarah Ali]

I'm one by one tackling my fears by reaching out to BP community!

Next fear: I'm late 40s and have no RE. Am I too old to get started? in 30 years when my mortgages will finally be paid off, I might be dead.  What would a realistic plan for someone my age be? Ideally I would like to live off income from REI, as I cannot currently work in a traditional sense (ie, desk job).  How can I get there and how long would it take?

I'm thinking to house hack or do a 2, 3 or 4 plex where I live in one of the units.  But where I currently live (SF Bay Area) is so expensive. Could I find a place here? Should I look in other, cheaper parts of CA? Or OOS?