Access to a beach and dock for guests requires a special rider.

I have access to it with a few of my lenders. 12 or 24 month bank statements, 15-30 year loan terms.

The Riviera Maya and Cancun area for example has has an 8 to 10% capital gain per year in the last 10 years, the politics are stable  and the country's international tourism is booming.

After you do that get to 5 million dollars in real estate that is when everything really starts gaining traction and your wealth turns into a run away train. 

Are there any tried and true/ industry standard sites, forums, etc. where those looking to avoid capital gains look for investment properties?  

The knowledge I've gained has been invaluable.

The last couple of months I have begun to gain more knowledge about Real Estate investing and becoming more informative.

How will the capital gains and rental income be taxed (not just by US, but by Canada as well)?

With the exception of finding the tenants (I use an agent) I manage all maintenance aspects of the property but am coming to a point where I might want to move on and considering doing a 1031 exchange to of course avoid Cap Gains and invest in another property closer to my primary residence.

If you have a larger portfolio & some infrastructure behind you it can be nice because you can off set your losses with all of your gains.