My budget is in the $200-250K range.Please feel free to let me know if additional details would help, and thank you in advance for your time and advice! 

I took a break from school and shed all points of stress in my life.

However, if you intend to work with a hard money lender or utilize a short-term loan product, you're on the clock for repayment, which can be stressful if things go sideways. 

Can you be financially free, sure, consider if you are buying real estate you will no longer have stable income to get a loan.

What were your solutions, and how did they work out?

We also got them to have it professionally cleaned, ducts cleaned, they threw in some furniture for free, paid a lot of the closing costs that buyer usually pays, paid most recent mill levy instead of prior years taxes, paid my 2.8% commission, etc. because it is a buyers market and that's what you can negotiate in a buyer's market. 

I thought the regular "free" Stessa account was ok.

Purchase price: $145,000 Cash invested: $60,000 Finding a move-in-ready home that offers modern upgrades and country charm can be challenging—but this fully renovated 4-5 bedroom, 2-bathroom ranch is the perfect solution.

I took the 3 day this past October (2018) and feel it was a great course, but it was a "repeat" of a lot of the info available for free on youtube, etc. 

If you’re just getting started in real estate, feel free to reach out – I’ve been coaching new investors for a while and am happy to help you however I can.