I usually spend my time, if the seller is present, keeping him/her out of the way if needed, pumping tenants for info, taking measurements for room sizes and drawing floor plans with doors and windows and noting appliances and taking pictures.We look for value add properties that are in decent structural and mechanical condition (except for one deal that we got really cheap).

I see this is posted in the house-hack forum so I'll make the assumption that you want to owner-occupy your next investment.To work more hands-on, you'll want to spend time searching for deals, analyzing deals, and networking/building a team.Before your property search, I'd recommend speaking with a lender to find out how much you'll qualify for.

here is the situation. i left a really good paying job to take care of my 81 year old parents because my dad is chronically ill and my mom is almost there. i wont go into too much detail, but my sis doesnt help them. ill leave it at that. we have a person who comes twice a week to help with cleaning and other household tasks. i carry the bulk of the weight cooking their meals, running errands, grocery shopping, picking up meds, and taking them to dr appointments. its a full time job. i get a small salary of $1000 a month from a care giver sub contractor for the VA. ive been paying my bills with what savings ive had, but only have a few months of funds left. i own a duplex. i have over 200k in equity. i live in texas and texas has weird laws about refi and heloc/heloans when the property is 4 units or less and owner occupied. i would rather not sell, but if thats my only option i will have to at some point.does anyone have any advice or possibly be able to point me to lenders who might be able to work with my situation?

Add in demand for the land itself, increase in the younger generation aiming for household formation, in-migration to Florida from retirees or from other relocations, and your observation is spot on.

Might also try one of the stock brokerages that has intl offices as well like Schwab or Fidelity.I would also get it here in the bank account and ready to spend, before you do much work with them. 

For starters, you should spend some time looking at the property listings.

Of those how many are 2 bed + home office or 3 beds, basically  suitable for a household earning $150K? 

@Andrew Steffens I think we've been able to avoid cheap owners by taking on the expense of many of these consumable supplies, which effectively removed them / their spending philosophies from the equation.

Personally, I wouldn't spend money on an attorney because 1) I think the covenants/restrictions can sensibly be used against STRs and 2) because the HOA potentially has deep pockets if the officers decide to fight because they can pass the cost of the fight to the home owners.I would reach out to the officers to get their sentiments and to plead my case, and I would start building my case with the other homeowners. 

Find out what that VA restoration will really cost youSecond, you are making a rookie mistake, one that the gurus play on to make you spend money for almost always useless sessions.