A jobless rate of 3% or below is widely considered "full employment" by economists, or the point at which most people who want a job have one

Because people skip this and jump right to techniques, we have a huge FAILURE rate of people wanting to be real estate “operators”.  

I would love to make some connections and get to know more people who could help me along the way!

Definitely a focus area from lenders, conventional or otherwise - theres been a reported uptick in occupancy fraud or funny business lately as rates and values have continued to be so high and qualifying so tough - people are more likely to bend the rules on stuff like this - so this is generally the lender response

Maybe that challenge would make the investing journey seem more "fun" but you are in a position that sooooo many people dream of. 

My advice is to stop listening to the people you overheard. 

It's in the country so people looking in that area generally want peace and quiet.

@Patrick Irish based on what you say, the Sec 121 Exclusion and the 1031 Exchange both seem like they'd be good options for you to defer capital gains on sale of the townhouse.Sec 121 Exclusion has 3 requirements: First, Determine whether any of the automatic disqualifications apply (acquired property through 1031 exchange in last 5 years, or subject to Expat taxes)Next, meet the ownership requirement -> you owned the home for at least 24 months (2 years) out of the last 5 years leading up to the date of sale (date of the closing)Finally, meet the residence requirement -> owned the home and used it as your residence for at least 24 months (or 730 days) of the previous 5 yearsThere is no “Wiggle Room” but there is a Sec 121 “partial exclusion” for people like you that missed the residence requirement by a few months.

My duplexes did not appreciate over the 7 years I owned them.I was so fixated on Cash Flow, that I missed the appreciation on the deal, and the cash flow ended up minimal due to the things I mentionedHope that helpsGino

People are always wanting to share success stories or failures to help teach someone.