Built in 1961, this residence offers 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms within approximately 1,500 square feet of living space.

Thank you for a lively debate.

If you live in Texas this is a great resource to see how much MF inventory is growing in your market https://trerc.tamu.edu/data/building-permits/

I retired in my mid-50s and live a comfortable life, grateful every day for the path I chose.Looking back, I’m forever thankful to my partner who encouraged me to take that leap of faith and move to Ohio.

If that is the case, then you are good to go.Next thing will be to not rent anything until you get a real live lease and rental agreements.

Our next big objective is to eliminate our housing expenses by purchasing a triplex or fourplex using my VA benefits.

Those can indicate poor management, deferred maintenance, difficult and expensive upkeep like ocean front which will bring up issues with rising oceans, insurance, and hurricanes. 

They live in a semi HCOL area called Torrance (house is in a good zip code 90503).

My best friend lives in Kingman with his mother.

Aside from downpayment, you want to have a solid emergency fund in place, something that can cover unexpected repairs, vacancies, or any other random costs that pop up.I’d also recommend saving more than you think you'll need and keeping a close eye on your expenses.