My goal is to buy properties in both Florida and Michigan so that I can escape the cold MI winter and hot FL summers.

It's dead in the winter and spring's not a ton better.

Just for fun I looked up the rate to borrow against your portfolio... 7.8 - 10.88% VARIABLE interest at ETrade from Morgan Stanley (see pic).  

This could be a fun time to get your family involved. 

It sounds like you’re off to a fun start—just remember, when it comes to your first acquisition, don’t let it go to “foreclosure” or you might find yourself in a “rehab” situation!

With building it can be a task with all the bureaucracy but if you have patience it all just depends on the zoning and all that fun stuff but due able I work with developers now that have built where others would have deemed impossible.

Rentals are obviously not as crazy as peak COVID times, however even in winter we're still having most weekends booked out with the odd midweek booking here and there. 

The panhandle is seasonal - busy in summer for beaches, slow in winter because it’s too cold.

I could see in NJ where you would want to because the winter time is dead.

Now that I own rentals my debt cycles with winter fuel and sometimes remodels being put on a credit card.