If you're planning to rehab properties for rental or flipping, a hard money lender might be the right fit.

You snowball plan has a very high success rate.

A reliable tenant stays for many years, pays the rent on schedule, and takes good care of the property.Reliable tenants are the exception, not the norm.

Could you do a cash out refinance of that property and rent it as well, or are you planning on selling? 

This only really matters if you plan to buy a house again soon...within 9-12 months4.

I’m actually in Arizona at one of our properties until the beginning of October but am planning to be back in that first week.

For my family investing OOS is a big long term goal (most likely south with mountains), but it's never been the main plan. 

I don't care if 99 of 100 homes in the area have K&T, I would NOT buy it and leave it with K&T anywhere.

Those are big issues the court seems to care about.

Bigger Pockets is a great place to find a real estate tax accountant.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.