Trying to understand taxes yourself can be quite the heavy burden. 

I tried to put the pieces together to build a solid team out there but it's really tough unless you have someone local to help you run it or are willing to drive back and forth.

The participation must be regular, continuous, and substantial as defined by the IRS.

I think PropStream is a must have. 

I have been trying to get a note "deal" on Pre-REO for about a year. 

IMO those numbers make a lot of sense.I think its better of an investment than trying to buy OOS.

This 'consultative' approach means their business clients come in talk through problems and they try to provide a bit of outside business 'coaching' if you will, or connect you with another client who can assist.

Additional costs will creep in and costs seem to go up faster than rents, so I would sell and try to otherwise optimize the VA loan. 

Personally if you are looking to grow in real estate going the traditional method/way of getting good properties under agreement with traditional financing will get you to where you want to go faster than trying to find all the needles in a haystack.

Are there any local meet ups, groups, or anything going on to start meeting people and continue trying to learn more about real estate investing?