So you need 1) hustle and/or systems and/or network to find a "deal," however you define that (based on education and networking within your market), 2) knowledge and the ability to sell yourself as a buyer to the seller to lock it up, and then 3) hustle and/or systems and/or network to find a buyer.In essence, you will have to bust your butt to find a good deal and bring it to an investor who is reliable to close, otherwise you will may be out of your deposit and can tarnish a relationship and potentially your reputation (granted, likely on a limited scale).

I feel it’s easier to scale with lower prices.

Interested in scaling How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

Today our properties are retirement income, we have little or no interest in scaling so leverage is moot.At your age there are lots of options.

The appreciation and cash flow is really good and its a great way to scale your portfolio.

Add to that knowledge, years of experience actually doing the work with their clients at scale. 

When I say these things it's for a sense of scale.

I am not sure what you portfolio looks like but if you are just starting out you might consider renting it out for a little bit so you are able to gain experience and practice while it builds equity and then either cash out refinance to quire more or sell and scale.

This number varies depending on economies of scale, vintage, property condition, etc.

@Noelle Bohlen your mind is on the right track; scale up and move into multifamily!