Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

You can also start exploring a house hack to utilize the lower DP

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

To plan investment and future rental goals in Albany, research market trends, explore financing options, understand landlord-tenant laws, manage property early, budget for maintenance, and connect with local investors.

I'm exploring ways to access equity without selling.

But if you are really set on RE you may want to explore options of borrowing against them or taking cash out early.

The return on equity is probably very low considering they are paid off so maybe explore refinancing or selling the lowest performing one(s) or your biggest headaches to reinvest in more lucrative deals.I noticed you also used a metric of number of rentals to attain your goal rather than $$$/month.

It might also be worth exploring creative financing to leverage that quarter million into even bigger opportunities. 

Other cities like Akron or Dayton in Ohio might also be worth exploring for affordable properties and good returns.

I would love to explore the rest of the US - if I had the money.