I currently live in Pensacola, FL, so making it to early morning meetings on weekdays are a stretch.

Repeat until you hit your goal (likely at least double your current timeframe)If you are willing to risk what you already have, you can suck a bunch of equity out which will eat all of your current cash flow and stretch it across as many properties as you can as thinly as you can to try and meet your mark.

This city has half a million people and stretches 10 miles from Seal Beach to Compton.I have a lot of units in Long Beach and am currently doing a flip here.  

A few million seems like a bit of a stretch for me, I was thinking more in the neighborhood of $450k or so.

Particularly important in this part of the country, because the chain of title stretches back a long way. 

I believe there are forces at play that will stretch or extend the peak.

If you are trying for cash flow now you will need a lot more properties to make up for the mortgages even if you stretch out to 30 year ones. 

For these NPN its a job and a lot of work.. its not passive by any stretch...

I was hoping to find somewhere in the stretch between Ogden and salt lake because it would be an easy commute.

I don't think so.I've also known attorneys and Realtors to make a small loan to put a property in top market condition, 10K on a 70K equity isn't a stretch.