I have a goal of 5 properties in the next 5 years minimum and then hope to expand more rapidly thereafter and want to ensure I am planning for my exits and retirement as well as my current income.  

IF you are rapidly paying down CC debt that occurred from a one-time event you might consider setting the windfall cash aside to invest, carefully.

I recognize that now it's time for me to take action (I can hear Brandon's voice in my head as I type this).Atlanta is a beautiful city and the housing market is rapidly evolving.

Austin Board of REALTORS® releases November 2017 Central Texas Housing Market ReportAUSTIN, Texas – Dec. 14, 2017 – Single-family home sales declined in the city of Austin but increased across the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for the second month in a row, according to the November 2017 Central Texas Housing Market Report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®.Brandy Guthrie, 2017 President of the Austin Board of REALTORS­® commented, “Due to rapid population growth throughout Central Texas, Austin continues to have one of the highest demands for housing in the nation.

But as rapidly as possible, he's got to begin layering in the other areas of wealth building where appropriate! 

To further complicate things, I am in an RSO zone and have been holding off on getting tenants in the meantime to avoid paying relocation fees.The silver lining is that the supposed DUPLEX that I bought is legally recorded as a TRIPLEX in a rapidly gentrifying area and has already gained equity, but that type of project falls outside my scope of rehab capabilities and my finances are stretched pretty tight as it is.

Now I'm rapidly approaching that and thinking of my options.

Utah County (Lehi, Provo, Saratoga Springs, American Fork, Provo, etc all growing rapidly as well) has an estimate 230,000.

Does anyone have any good leads for private lenders in Grand Rapids?  

There could be potential in the area, but it seems like a long term play.The Cerner Campus that Kim references (Bannister Mall) is constructing office buildings at a rapid rate.