Over the past year I have toyed with the idea of getting into real estate myself, and this year I want to make the jump.

For instance, your comments for the renovation suggest it's a full gut and rebuild plus a higher than average demo and haul/dump.

I've been actively "toying" with my IRA to see how I can work stock investment and although I've had good returns it is not as good as REI claims to be.  

If you can't bear to think of yourself and accept yourself as someone who isn't a magical, special rainmaker in all ways (and there are many, many people who absolutely NEED to believe this about themselves), you're simply never going to get anything done in real estate over the long haul.

For your first project, use a General Contractor, who has their own subs and who will deal with all that minutia for you, then follow them around, ask lots of questions and learn.Whatever you do, have a rock-solid contract that specifies money for performance and have them deal with materials and the haul-away and bid the job including both labor and materials broken out. 

I hate to see you sell it if you don't need to. Yes

I told her time to go I was always  in contact with her .I even paid a buddy a 100 to haul her crap quick she was a money losing deal I needed to stop the bleeding !

I have a studio apartment in New Bern, NC that will need an over haul once the tenant moves out at the end of February.

Having vacant properties tends to eat way more $$ than dropping the price a reasonable %...especially when you are renting for $2400/monthI tend to try and be a little under market says it will bear...... yes I may leave some $$ on the table but I get a larger pool to choose from to select the best tenant out of the bunch...and better tenants tend to cost you less in the long run, so you actually make more $$ over the long haul

Check out U-Haul pricing and ask yourself why it's twice the price to take a truck from California to Texas as it is the other way around.