Goal would be to acquire 20 rentals by the age of retirement, with some already starting to be paid off.I am in the same boat as you, and I focus on safe appreciation all day (small cash flow for safety and then focused on markets on that appreciate). 

I recently acquired a commercial mixed use at a great price and now that it’s fixed up, it’s worth considerably more and cash flowing well. 

This way, you’re still acquiring one property per year but growing your portfolio exponentially. ahh that's great advice!

When someone claims to have completed “1000s” of deals successfully, we’d need to see purchase and sale docs on each one to verify their track record.  

We are also close to pulling the trigger on acquiring another nearby single family home for a second STR.

If you’re looking to acquire a second investment property with little to no cash down, creative financing can definitely work, but it depends on the deal and the seller’s willingness.

Scaling up doesn’t always require 20% down—house hacking (FHA or 5% conventional), DSCR loans, seller financing, and the BRRRR method can help you acquire more properties with less cash upfront.

Changing the deed is a SALE, the loan is due on sale.

I currently only have experience with the former and am looking at possibly acquiring the latter.  

Our market is still great, great pricing, and a solid opportunity to acquire off-markets as i work with wholesale partners, but a very savvy agent that can negotiate well for STR or long term rentals and great with understanding the best possible options for an investment property.