The sellers may have indeed blown the case on fun and toys.

That's what coaching and laser focus can do for you. 

I currently have a real estate agent I am happy with, but the attorney I've used didn't impress me much.I'm also toying with the idea of getting my real estate license.

That's correct, I received a 3% buyer commission since I'm licensed and represented myself as the buyers agent.I toyed around with them for 3 months on the one I bought.

And with respect the guys with the Teslas, I'm more interested in financial freedom than shiny toys--to each their own!   

I've toyed with the idea of getting my RE license, etc., but I'm not sure I can invest the initial few hundred dollars into classes and licensure, and then solely work for commission after that.

I've also toyed around with the idea of renting it for around $500/month.

For that tenant class, the headaches are not worth it.Fyi in my short 2 years owning properties there, I dealt with 4 evictions, dogs ******** on walls, cat piss along the whole wall and even the ceiling, and a tenant throwing all their kids toys into the wall vents. 

I've always toyed around with the idea of real estate investing but it seemed out of reach.

I'm pursuing a career in local government/ urban planning.I've been toying around with the idea of real estate development for some time now, but I've finally decided to pull the trigger and really get serious about this after talking to different people.