Well I was inclined more towards getting the inspection done and because of it and some findings in it I was able to get a price reduction.

My inclination would be to become a cash investor but I also see the merits of leveraging.

The strategy is best described in Joel Greenblatt's fantastic book, and an outstanding practical guide and tool for executing it can be found over at the Magic Diligence website.You can do either (or both) of those using the "leverage" of Options, allowing for substantial upside potential compared to standard stock purchases, with dramatically reduced downside (if you want a no-hype education on Options, Erik Kobayashi-Solomon's book is great).Those with the patience and inclination can indeed use Option trading to make money in any market condition (Wikipedia founder Jimbo Wales, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and "Black Swan" author Nassim Taleb all spent time -- and made lots and lots of money -- as options traders in their careers).For even more leverage, you could of course do any of the above (and much more) on margin (meaning your brokerage lends you money to do the investment), though that's not something I would ever do personally.Also, if you focus on holding stocks (or options) for at least a year, you benefit from favorable tax treatment of the profits.

I might suggest looking for another law enforcement job closer to home, city or deputy, keep the job and move into RE slowly, build up your RE investing/operations so you can still eat, then move out if you're inclined.

I appreciate you confirming my initial inclination.

While I do not have any inclination that becoming generally successful as an REA is easy, it seems like a decent way to both acquire the capital I need through possible commissions and gain experience.

Given the info we have so far, I am inclined to think the neighbor is the issue and the "or else something bad will happen" reply seems like a threat of taking action. 

If you're inclined to read more, check out the book "Land Development" by Daisy Linda Kone.  

If I were a seller I might be more inclined to pick the offer that has an agent to ensure the process went smoother and was more likely to close.

Nor would I have the time/inclination to sit around waiting for 3 plumbers to come around and give me a bid to fix the burst pipe.