I also know many of these same people lost everything, due to the behavior of a single tenant that is known as a "Professional Tenant," or maybe an inadvertent accident occurred.

That property is a tired dog thats been kicked around for far too long. 

Sounds like you need to partner, or give the lead to an experienced investor for a bird dog fee...

Simple, charming, friendly for kids, dogs, mobility impaired.

Willing to Bird Dog...  

I know my dog sure does love it.

One finally made an offer we grudgingly accepted, and he is refusing to pay the bird dog the $500 and expects us to pay for it.I buy houses and pay the bird dogs $500.

You could hire a couple of bird dogs to drive for dollars for you.

It can be harder to manage over an hour and a half away and even with the lower rents it takes a while to find good tenants because people there just don't make as much--and we don't allow dogs, which many people in the country have. 

One way you could start now is by wholesaling properties or bird dogging for other investors in your area to find deals, use this money to purchase homes or to fund the repairs with other investors.