Money is good, consistently pull-in say $150-$200k although being extremely busy with very long hours.

We are/were hoping to put a $60-70k down payment on a higher-end 'A' new build property with Rent to Retirement as I really like their business model/community, rather than a smaller down payment on a refurbished property in a 'C' area.

Depending on the jurisdiction, some will allow, and some will not allow, development in the flood fringe as long as you can demonstrate that the development does not raise the BFE (no rise) or possibly some other criteria, again jurisdiction specific.

Purchasing MHCs in neighboring states that have more business-friendly regulations could prove to be the key.And, of course, who can forget the good old cost-of-living and supply chain crises?

Switching software's really sucks, especially if you are busy and growing.Then there are some more robust software's out there like Rent Manager, but you really need to know how to use it.  

I have a choice to make on which lender to go with on my rental property refinance, however as I research each lender, I cannot find adequate information about their actual business practices.

Any 'investment' can act as a 'retirement'.Roth is great because it is tax freeI personally like real estate also becuase your cash flow is normally shielded by depreciation.I like real estate further because there is less complixities / restrictions when it comes to IRA such as the 5 year rule, year you have to take distributions, RMD, Unrelated Business Income Tax(UBIT).Your goal is to have the best return and the most money at the time of retirement, what is the best way to get there?

If so, then maybe the 21% opex the agent told me might be somewhat dependable. 

Outside of real estate, I enjoy working on my other business and learning to fly.Excited to learn and connect with you all!

That depends - how old is the septic system, is it still in working order and pass title 5 inspection?