I think I am on a path to recovery, ready to check out the market tools to finally pick and market and find some deals!

Pretty straightforward project but extremely useful for my investing career going forward. 

Buy properties (in the path of progress) that need TLC and add value (rehab, raise rents, reduce costs, increase NOI).

And what were the things you thought would be very difficult but turned out to be straight-forward later on?

If you are interested in STR, that is a great path to go down this year.

It could be he is lodged and charged after which you can take possession based on abandonment/non-payment.It's always a good idea to use an attorney but if you spend the time, read the laws it's a pretty straight forward process to evict on the grounds you stated.  

This balances maintaining your current property and expanding your investment portfolio, although it involves higher mortgage payments.Given your goal to minimize your ex’s financial benefit, selling your current home and purchasing a new house hack might be the most straightforward and financially advantageous route.

If this is an investment property that's leased and performing, DSCR cashout is probably the simplest path. 

Actually seems fairly straight forward as far as auctions go, but I am certain there are a few things that must be completed before hand, like registering etc. 

Your question is basically a winding path back to the same answer, no matter what anyone says.