I grew up in WNC and still have family there so that is an option and even have placed offers on cabins in WNC to make an STR but nothing has panned out yet for something like that.

Should effort be placed in a baseline business plan to determine the best option to start in for this field?

This is one of the options I was considering as well. 

+1  Real Estate Investing Data and How-to Guides - This here shows that you can filter to Multi family but I don't see it as an option as well.

Given that I recently created a Series LLC here in TX, and there still doesn't appear to be straightforward options in this regard, I figured I would bring it up again. 

There just aren't a lot of options in my area, and my kids need to live close to their dad. 

Option 3: Find a better investment at this time.Stop thinking of yourself as a real estate investor and start thinking of yourself as a well rounded investor.Pay off your mortgage: Your money is not working for you when you spend it on liabilities like a personal residence.Buy Rentals with little/no cash flow: You are speculating what a rental will be worth in 20-30 years.

For investment, 20% down is typical with some 15% down options out there but there are restrictions (not sure if this is available for STRs, just LTRs.) 

I’m particularly curious about:Financing Options: What types of loans or funding sources work best when scaling quickly?

FHA 203(k) Loan BasicsThe FHA 203(k) loan is an excellent option for financing a multifamily property (up to 4 units) with only 3.5% down.