I picked her exactly because she had a good social and online footprint!!

However, it’s important to ensure the area is safe.

I offer an online payment portal to submit rent payments via ACH or CC - they "couldn't figure out how to use it" so I set us up to accept Zelle payments.

You can find online which larger institutions are buying in a specific area and try and reach out to them.

There are a lot of websites that offer the course online, or if you have a college near you, they also typically offer a class that satisfies the pre-licensing requirement.

its highly risky for most mom and pops to sell on sub to.. and its simply not a way for those without substantial wherewithal to buy property and keep the seller safe..

My recommendation would be to get approved as a Landlord, contact the director's office and request that an inspection be completed before a tenant is selected (sometimes they will do this as long as you select a tenant within 14 days - which you want anyways), and have an online application and screening resource in place.  

Sounds like I can safely write them off only after I purchase the rental and start the renovations to ultimately rent it out.

These specialized companies, easily found online or here, will create your company’s SD 401(k) plan.

If it holds up under these conditions, you've got a solid investment—better safe than sorry!