“The most disappointing thing was seeing that I was out and couldn’t do anything to buy rental property last year…Prices have gone up since last year… oh well.”

Flu,

Don’t feel bad. Look at it from another perspective.
It might be something good for you because you didn’t have to go through all the stress and headaches.
Buying a property is not a simple thing. It involves a lot of emotional ups and downs.
I was thinking to get an investment house awhile ago and started searching, but now I am backing off. I realized that it is not easy to be a landlord. Life is too short to deal with the crap. Even if you make tons of money, so what? Is it worth going through all the stress and hassles? Eventually everbody will go to the same destination without taking anything with you. Take it easy and enjoy life as much as you can now.