Perhaps reach out to local agents who work with a lot of buyers in your market and see if any of them need a place to rent while they house shop (inventory is still low).

Many realtors are not going to work in low value asset areas as those are generally rougher neighborhoods that are probably deemed to unsafe especially for a single women agent to be out there.

I have actually cashed out a lot of my IRA now bc I have so much depreciation from RE that my tax bracket is very low and the taxes to pay on the IRA withdrawal are also pretty much non existent (taking aside the penalty). 

I've read many of the BiggerPockets books like - House Hacking- Flipping- Estimating Rehabs- Multifamily Millionaire Book I and II- How to Invest in Real Estate with Low or No Money Down- Investing from a Distanceand even some outside of themand have been wanting to do something in Real Estate for awhile.

Is there a way I can take on the current mortgage payments (at the low rate) and get a new mortgage to make up the difference between the existing mortgage and the current value?

Real estate investing can absolutely be a game-changer when it comes to freeing up your time and helping shape the community you care about—especially in our beautiful region.You’re on the right track by diving into BiggerPockets.

Just focus on running the numbers carefully to ensure the property cash flows or at least covers expenses, and don’t hesitate to lean on resources here for advice.If you’re financing, look into FHA loans, as they’re great for first-time buyers purchasing up to 4-unit properties with low down payments.

If after interest rates spiked a buyer waited for them to drop back to 7%, they would have waited 21 years til 1993 for them to get that low again.Hope he isn't holding his breath.

You may have an advantage since there is very low deal volume in your area, and may have multiple bidders.Good luckGino

Weigh the long-term benefits of the low mortgage rate you have versus selling and getting $500k from a sale exempt from capital gains tax.