It's not always growth that effects values of an area.Neighborhoods change.

I know that my wife and I have advanced far from our days in college when we were counting our change, paying rent late and working for someone else and I just want to continue to grow the business and set no limits in any regards.

What kind of population growth have you had over the last 5 years?

Texas – Even though there might not be the plethora of deals there were a few years ago, the quality of the growth of these markets make them appealing.

Enjoying the tax benefits of being a landlord immensely.

As you know it's extremely restricted wrt growth, has tons of tech money pouring in, and is in constant demand.

In addition, you're starting to see rental growth rates slipping and with so much new construction going on, construction costs have been skyrocketing across the country.Like @Brian Burke said, today you can still buy at way below replacement cost, even in hot markets, so unless you're plenty experienced on construction and/or have millions to spend, I would stay away. 

Jeff's assertion, which Erion implies in his articles but doesn't out-right state, is that where most people who use REI for retirement go wrong is they chase cash flow instead of focusing on capital growth.

(See my reply to @Aaron Bassett above.)Building equity can be done from low-cost acquisitions where you can build in the equity through renovations/improvements, or from selecting the right markets and neighborhood/property combinations where growth leads to appreciation.If you want to "keep your day job", then reducing the work and headache on your first few investments might be the best ay to go for you.P.S.

I think a nice kitchen adds an immense amount of value, and like you said it's not like there's anything else to do with the space.