I'm just trying to be as proactive as I can, but I don't want to put the horse before the wagon so-to-speak.Any advice is welcome.

Don't put the cart before the horse- you should have a good idea of what these numbers should be before you start negotiating.

That scene where he is on a horse coming down the hill after his wife is murdered.

The jockey is always more important that the horse!

Its more rural than most areas surrounding Tampa so you can find houses at some solid price points but rental income wont be as high.Surprisingly enough its actually the horse capital of the world, I've worked with a few investors looking to find Airbnb opportunities to cash in on some of the events that come to Ocala due to its large equestrian presence.

I may be beating a dead horse here, but after house hacking 2 SFR's in Reno NV (somewhat of a similar market) and getting to $1mil in assets by 24, I'm constantly reminded that time goes by no matter what you do. 

there is this romanticism that this is the best way to get into the business when you have limited funds.. the mortality rate  is in the upper 90s the only one who really makes any money is the yellow letter guys  LOL>you see it all the time  I want to " start by wholesaling so I can get some cash so I can then become a buy and hold investor"  @Kyle Conrad  If you want to do this just go right to the horses mouth.. go to the state department of real estate or whatever its called there and talk to an one of the investigators or who ever will talk to you lay out your game plan and ask them if a license is required.. those are the folks with the last word. 

.; 4) Animal size is too large to accommodate i.e. a horse, a 200lb. dog in a single room rental.  

The were already known much more efficient ways to create horse power last century.

I understand I may be "putting the horse before the cart" here but I would love to catch up and "get my ducks in a row."