Our lot is fenced in and we cannot see where he lives but close enough to be of concern, but we want to stay in the same town until the kids are finished school.So, my question is this, would it make sense to rent our home (roughly $2300-2500/mo. as per real-estate agent claims), with the stipulation that the garage is used for my business AND buy a home nearby?

If you buy an investment property with your IRA, most require a non-recourse loan.

If you learn how to use Hard Money loans properly and how to find good deals in need of rehab, there are plenty of areas of the country where you could buy 3-4 rent properties in solid middle class areas with good cashflow.

And what type are looking to buy, SF, 2-4 MF, or 5+ MF? 

Are you considering moving to the market where you buy your next property?

Investment Info:Condo buy & hold investment.

And it sold for more because I was accessible and right there walking with them in their buying journey. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Are you agent yourself and what makes you say that you'll avoid buying a home under 1000 sqaure feet again? 

Many investors opt for building broker relationships when buying 100+ unit properties, but it also takes time to build a relationship with the broker.