It’s like having a good cup of coffee with an old friend who’s got nothing to sell, just a nudge to help you keep your sanity intact.

Some penalties are far worse.That's before my first cup of coffee.

The other is a full day drive, or a short/cheap direct airplane flight and we have family that lives nearby. 

(iii) leave a note at the owner's home that is nearby (she found using property records)?

Then there is city approval and whether they want a 2 to be a 4 (seems like the nearby properties might support it).

*Eventually* they will come back, which might be in 2 years or 10 depending on how aggressive the tree and bushes are that are nearby.

A buddy of mine here in San Diego once helped a first-time investor navigate an 8-unit purchase in Eugene, and over coffee in Old Town, he told me how the local property manager there saved them from a zoning hiccup that could’ve turned ugly.

I have sat in on other 1031 Exchange presentations where a Qualified Intermediary has said you can refinance as quickly as it "takes to make a cup of coffee" after the purchase.

Especially if the other kids follow suit, they'll likely need some kind of housing for a significant period of time nearby so buying now wouldn't be the worst move.Just my 2 cents.

Well, there are two colleges nearby, Delta State and Mississippi Valley but they are about the poorest 4-year public universities in the state and most of the people that go to them are from the Delta.