I suggest working with an investor friendly agent so you can get the right guidance!  

I promise, the only people that will truly understand what you are going through are the people going through it with you right now, or the people who have been through something similar.Your friends won't understand, your family won't understand - they can sympathize - but they can only empathize so much.

A friend whose a land use attorney said it's max 5/AC, our lot is about 0.25 AC. 

Ask me how I know.You have to handle this almost like a (good) police officer would: follow the law to the tee and friendly but absolutely unapologetic.

Here are a bunch that will help your research.https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/ZacharyCole/referenceshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/92/topics/765347-rent-to-retirement-reviewhttps://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/92/topics/1116050-a-huge-win-with-cori-from-rent-to-retirementhttps://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/850/topics/895660-my-first-investment-property-an-out-of-state-dealhttps://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/88/topics/1047543-big-profits-from-new-construction-sfr-build-in-cape-coral-flhttps://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/92/topics/983659-first-investment-property-with-rent-to-retirement?

Yes, it will be exhausting, you will learn a lot, Youtube will be your best friend but don't give up.

Buy a townhouse in this development near where I live called Sea Colony:Details: $860k for a comfortable townhouse.Pros:Comfortable place to live for the next few years, and I’d still have liquidity to invest elsewhere.It is still in my current community where all of my friends live, so I would still be where I want to be location-wise.Will get appreciation.Cons:High HOA fees ($660/month) and potential 10k special assessment in the next few years.Likely won’t cash flow after we move, so unsure whether it would make sense to hold.3. 

It's awesome you are considering where you want to be and flexible with that.I'd look at your high growth markets, where there is a diversified economy, job growth, income growth, population growth, business friendly environment. 

People need to stop using the term "agreement" like my friend and I have an agreement to meet at the movie theater at 7 PM.

I have a 5-year old mutt who’s my best friend, recently engaged to my fiancé of 5 years, aspiring Adirondack angler, learning JavaScript and Golang, self-taught whiskey “sommelier”, Lego fanatic, and car geek.