I'm active in the Nashville area as an investor and agent. 

They already "made it" via what there doing for active income. 

It pays to know when to just hire an independent financial advisor and do what you do best.In my 45 years as an active investor across real estate, businesses, commodities, and almost everything else I’ve developed a few “rules” that I believe should never be violated 1.

Not sure how active he is on BP, but you might be able to get some insight from someone who was in a similar position. 

I'm in Orlando and active in residential real estate as a Realtor® and also serve on the board of CFRI, the local chapter of the National REIA.

Short-term rentals (STRs) could work well in vacation-heavy areas, but they require active management—considering a co-host or property manager can help offset time constraints.

I spoke to them about 1.5 months ago and since then they have been non-responsive that makes them look like not the real deal and I'm wondering if they are still around and active and good?

If you continue using it as a rental but reduce STR activity below the material participation threshold, your deductions may become passive and subject to loss limitations.2.

I then did some wholesaling, land flipping, did some more buying and am now just doing lending to build up active income.

Just a word of caution about Metro Detroit, it still has a large portion of its economic activity related to automotive.