"You just need to pick a market where there is not any current regulations and hopefully none on the horizon."

Step out of the moment and elongate the time horizon.  

That’s where I’m investing and doing so with a long horizon for that change to occur while cash flowing nicely along the way.

Since I have a long investing horizon (30+ years) I assume that I will average 7% growth of this investment per year.2.

I would also add that purchasing existing has a bit less exposure than does development when a recession is on the horizon. 

The issues with older properties is the deferred maintenance and CapEx that might be on the horizon.  

Check the HOA reserve budget to see if any assessments are on the horizon and the triple check your numbers.

Therefore, we are trying to aggressively save as much as possible between now and then to have a sufficient down payment (hopefully 3.5% with a FHA so long as we can qualify) and enough to cover closing costs and some reserve money for any unexpected circumstances.With student loan payments on the horizon, I’ve been contributing about $500 a month to my Roth IRA in anticipation of having to cut back dramatically in 3 months.My question is this: should I keep investing into my Roth IRA during my student loan repayment/saving for our first property or will losing a year to a year and a half of contributing really hurt me that much in the long run?

Also the goal has always been to have other people (rentals) pay the mortgages  which means doubling down to quickly pay off 1 mortgage equals using my money.Additionally, I do believe that there is a recession looming thus a bargain may be on the horizon in the next 2-3 years .

Is it wise to purchase investment property when there's a recession in the horizon??