I’m going to college this year (graduating HS early) so it’s imperative I make these choices for my future as soon as possible.

Those neighborhoods on the west side are good choices.

If you're looking long term, it's the better choice.

I ultimately went with Arizona because I thought I would rather visit AZ twice a year than Oklahoma, Ohio, or Illinois.Phoenix and Tucson were equally good choices- but there were a few other cities I also really liked.I looked for any city/community with consistent job, population, and wage growth.

If you qualify for it - this would be much better choice compared to SD IRA. 

It has gone by many names, but I just looked it up and it is now the Military Choice loan.

If given the choice between taking legal advice from my friend or the lawyer I would go with the lawyer.When going to court whomever actually delivered the eviction notice needs to show up to testify.

Even if I had a team of professionals to help I don’t know what choices to make in home design and of course it would cost more than doing it on my own (while working a full time job).

HML's are usually a final choice but a necessary source of loans. 

I think REI is great for someone like you and choosing a TK provider like Memphis Invest would be a good choice both for passive income and because they could help you diversify because of their different markets.However before I start going down any investing path, I would suggest talking with a CPA, lawyer and/or estate planner about how best to invest long-term.