If you're comfortable living where you are, equity in your current property or your savings rate would be the two other ways to get your next one which is going to be much slower.

Find a partner, find co-workers/friends/relatives you wouldn’t mind living with, find a property you can buy for less than your current rent.

It seems ridiculous, but that's the world we live in now.

We live just outside of city limits and therefore Coconino county. 

Have enough that after you buy the property you still have 6 months of expenses in reserves that you can use for daily living.

I specialize in creative rental investments such as STR & co-living. 

Ideally we would love to live in my childhood home.

@Jay FayzIt's possible to use an FHA loan with a 5% down payment, but keep in mind that the loan is intended for primary residences, and you'll need to live in the property for at least a year.

I don't know your living situation but if your paying x,xxx for rent or a mortgage and instead by living in one side and renting out the other you will be paying y,yyy instead and y is less then x that's great, especially if you can rent out your primary residence and make income there too. 

I believe he now lives in Portugal.