A client last year acquired a $1.5M oceanfront home on pace for $150k+ in gross rental production. 

Took a little longer to close than expected which would have also hurt, considering the pace with which interest rates were sky-rocketing at the time.

You could also look into using a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) on your current home to fund part of your next investment, thereby keeping your savings intact.Moving and Renting Out the Current Home: Transitioning into a duplex, living in one unit while renting the other, plus renting out your current house, can significantly accelerate your investment pace.

I am getting older so I need to not move at a rapid pace but for my goals toward retirement I need to act now.Thank you for your time.

If you had to live off the grid (or just at a slower pace) the OR Coast would be a challenging environment but one that also offers plentiful water, food and refuge. - Warming weather.

I have a lot more questions but I'll pace myself as I dig into how this all works.

A simple Bi-Weekly with added payments can pay off a mortgage in 10-12 years.This strategy allows you to pay more at your own pace having a failsafe unlike a 15 year where you are obligated to pay more every month.

If you find a good one, you'll pay with your time, energy, and money. 99% of all investors would be better off reading some books, networking, and growing at their own pace.

Bloomfield looks very promising overall given the pace of development there and the fact that Jersey City and Hoboken are too expensive these days.  

Rent control may prevent you from increasing the rent fast enough to keep pace with inflation, limit your ability to select a reliable tenant, and make evictions of non-performing tenants difficult or impossible.