My goal of course, is financial independence as soon as possible. 

Financially renting is smart right now but if you want to buy do it. 

The deal makes sense financially however the house is in a flood zone A and flooded during this past hurricane season.

The house is underperforming financially.

A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

Rooming houses dwindled in numbers, and zoning regulations took out the rest.Now apartments in popular suburbs are as expensive as in center cities, and for people of even moderate means their own apartment or house may not be realistic financially.  

If these are even an average sized breed they can eat through a lot of food in a day/week/month.So the first thing is to get yourself financially stable.

A property manager can be a great asset for regular check-ins and updates.

what does your current financial situation look like?

Hi @John Daniels - the mortgage company I work for, Assurance Financial, is based out of Baton Rouge and we have offices throughout Louisiana.