From my experience selling RE and building new homes your just not going to please everyone

Quote from @Kevin Cole: @Andrew BoscoI would like real estate to be a part of my wealth building strategy.

If you are trying to build your portfolio faster I'd probably go with the second scenario.

I have from time to time spoken with the city administrator, economic developer, & a person at building planning commission.

By capping the taxable value increases for homestead properties, local governments may need to compensate for the lost revenue by increasing taxes on other types of properties, such as commercial buildings and rental properties.

It’s a great way to meet people who are actually doing deals and can share what’s working for them.Also, build a solid team.

Your agent should be able to help with your deal analysis, consulting on whether a deal is good/bad, learning neighborhoods, estimating renovations, building your team, etc.

I assume a higher upfront cost as far as land purchase and the actual build but you would have a brand new house, instant equity and hopefully maintenance free for quite a while.

I always pass by these abandoned buildings or abandoned plots of land ask “ what can we turn this into and how can this be beneficial to the area?

You should be able to build an entirely new deck with concrete footing for less.