Gaining connections with agents, investors, and wholesalers for off market deals is obviously a sure way to find properties under value.

If I were to answer my own question - I'd say focus on flipping properties while you're young since it will give you a higher ROI and capital gains. 

Florence, Alabama, is gaining traction among real estate investors, offering prime opportunities in land and new construction.

Great to hear that you’re focusing on small multifamily properties as a starting point; they can offer great cash flow and help you gain valuable experience as you scale into larger investments.

In addition to that, here are a few pieces of advice that might help you on your journey:Wholesaling as a Launchpad: Wholesaling can be a great way to generate capital and gain valuable experience in the market without the need for significant upfront investment.

Where you hoping to flip or keep for passive gain? 

Since you lived there more than 2 years in the past 5 most, if not all, of your capital gains should be tax free.  

This is how you grow your network, gain knowlage. 

In some cases, folks recognize losses that they can carry forward to offset future gains.

I'm hoping some 1031 exchange experts might know if it's possible to defer capital gains in this situation: I want to sell several  properties owned by a 3 member (all family) LLC (LLC-A) and sell one property owned by another LLC with different but overlapping membership (LLC-B).Buy a much larger property that would be partially owned by LLC-A and partially owned by LLC-BThe new property is one tax parcel with two addresses.