Have met him personally a couple times and he is just a great guy all around. 

Was it real property or personal property?

Intangible assets like goodwill or tangible personal property (e.g., equipment) are excluded from 1031 treatment and are taxed separately—goodwill is typically taxed as a capital gain, while equipment may be subject to depreciation recapture taxed as ordinary income.To minimize taxes on the sale of the business, consider strategies such as Opportunity Zone investments, which defer gains until 2026 if proceeds are reinvested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF), or structuring the sale as an installment agreement to spread taxable income over multiple years.

I do have an agent I know personally but she's only in the area at certain times of the year.Section 8 would be better than nothing.

Foreclosures force the owner to sell because missed payments, probate forces heirs to sell a family members home, liens ultimately force a person to sell there homes to pay what they owe in tax/fines etc.

Quote from @Hanna Brown: @Jay Hinrichs If the bidder at the auction pays cash for keys to get the homeowner out, does the person redeeming from the owner position (exercising rights of redemption w/in 180 days) have to reimburse them for those costs they paid to get the homeowner out? 

I will actually be up in NYC in April so we could also connect in person before you come down.

I think the best thing to do would be to find a good-hearted person with a lot of experience and pick their brain.

I used an FHA loan but I am concerned about accepting rental payments into my personal bank account. 

Are you able to go there in person to build your network?