I recommend having a contractor walk through the property before submitting your offer, or you could make your offer contingent on a contractor walkthrough.

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – so, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

It had multiple offers the day it was listed (like everywhere) but now the financing of the buyer is falling through. 

Augusta indeed offers great potential with a strong rental market driven by factors such as population growth and a stable job market.

As others have noted credit unions are generally competitive on HELOC's. 

I've found that CPAs that focus on a niche area such as real estate rather than offering general services to everyone are typically much more knowledgeable about real estate tax incentives.

With the capital and experience to offer I've seen this work well as a joint venture.

Check Furnished Finder, Zillow, as well as AirBnb and VRBO (30+ day stays) to see what sort of competition is in that specific market.

Quote from @Kathy Grossart: Can a non-accredited investor in an already established SDIRA, within a 506(b) multi-family syndication, do a 1031 exchange to another syndicated property (with same operators), if the new 506(c) offering required investors to be accredited, and the investor is not? 

The Midwest, including cities like Detroit, offers some of the best opportunities for affordable properties with strong rent-to-price ratios.