We’ve had such an incredible experience with them so far.

This is incredible!

Any luck on motivating realtors in the area to actually get operating expenses/lease agreements for Jackson County specifically George?

I'm using Minoan to furnish a luxury STR and it's been incredible, and I am actively trying to find a way to better leverage their service. 

Currently,I don't have any experience in RE investing but highly motivated to start it asap.

.- Have attorney draw up a contract to do this.Suggest you offer your dad some cash, now or in the near future, to motivate him to transfer his ownership to you.It may not work out, but you will learn a lot either way!

The "online leads" trend becomes a vast pool of scams, each one discovering a new and "better" way to find motivated sellers via SEO/Paid adds/Social Media etc, and automatically aims to make a profit from selling those so-called leads.

I know deals such as this get done all the time, but I seem to have little luck targeting sellers that are motivated enough. 

More doors means less vacancies and it might motivate you to save up and buy a new SFR when you are ready to settle down.

So, yes, it can be the best time to buy as the sellers listing during the winter are often the most motivated.