We have a development coming up for approval with the county adding over 100 units bordering our small town and you can bet everyone that lives in our town is upset about it. in the end though, the planning commissions in our area tend to follow the letter of the law so to speak, so if there is nothing in ordinance barring it, they will approve, generally.

Financial freedom isn't simply about replacing your current income, because inflation continuously drives up prices, making a fixed income insufficient to maintain your standard of living.

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. 

Ideally we would love to live in my childhood home.

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

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 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.