Paying off debt prior to investing

[Tyler Northrup]

Currently I have a plan to pay off all debt accept my home prior to investing in real estate. I want to focus on Single family homes around $50,000 which I plan on paying cash for. Basically I would live off of a single income (my wife's) and put all of mine towards investing. With this method I would be able to purchase one home per year. My end goal is to quit the 9-5 and live off of my investments; however at this rate it is going to take years to accomplish especially since we will not be debt free for another 2.5 years, meaning I will not purchase my first investment property for another 3.5 years. All of this stems from Dave Ramsey which I'm a big advocate for. I know there are other discussions on here about him and paying cash for investments. I realize the difference between good and bad debt and will possibly still use some financing for future deals but overall it will be cash. I guess I'm just curious on other opinions/ advise on how to go about this and if it's a viable option. I don't want to wait years before investing yet I want to be out of debt and have financial freedom. Have any of you bought properties this way?