And I don't know of a statutory supported path past 3/yr inspite of what the gurus say.  

LOLthe blackberrys engulf the house you can see a little path to the door and the top of the second story other wise 100% covered in vines ..

Mom and I are immigrants from a country that took advantage of its ppl, so we don't trust anyone with our money.

Lately I have been thinking about buying few rentals (~20) and then eventually retire in a country with a low cost of living.

It helped me buy my dream home, a log home in the country.

Your property might be better suited to someone looking to move to the country vs living in the city.

After watching a lot of his stuff it just worries me that I really shouldn't head down this path.

The calls I made started taking their own path, til finally I realized that all I need to do is introduce myself, tell them what made me call and let them know I was interested in buying their house followed by asking them any variation of 2 questions...#1 are you interesting in selling?

I would say that is probably the case in much of the country.

Those days are gone, but if you are savvy about the path of progress you can make some good choices.