Noone has shown me anything that proves the "equity harvesting" theory would work in this rate environment so I'm sort of back to 3 choices.  1.

Its appeal as a desirable coastal city helps maintain rental demand.Fort Walton Beach: Located in the Panhandle, Fort Walton Beach and its surrounding areas offer a mix of steady rental demand and affordability, providing good cash flow opportunities, especially for single-family rentals.Pensacola: This city offers relatively high rental yields due to its affordable property prices and stable rental demand, making it a solid choice for cash flow-focused investments.These areas balance stable cash flow with potential for modest appreciation.

I've read that buying a 2dr is always the better choice for a condo, but am concerned about the older condo losing value faster than the nicer 1 bdr, since it's newer? 

We can talk about the benefits of code compliance forever but, I gave extra latitude to an owner making his choices.

That was a choice that only you can make.

If have a top 3, call em back, be honest and say there a top 3 and what can you do next to help find out if they are your choice out of the 3.

I don't know enough about you to advise you on a career choice

Your prospects have many choices before you add yours.

Your future self will thank you for the smart choices you make today.

You made choices all along here.