Readers should seek professional advice.

I found this property through my network of local real estate professionals.

I invested as a sophisticated investor, although I have no professional accreditations.

If you've never done rentals before, I'd be careful with how you start. 

the event i went to in tampa last year at a resort had security but I think the other Mendenhall brother that no longer works there oversaw it they seemed professional and were ex military type guys..two k9 dogs were there. 

Many of the section 8 tenants I've had give me little to zero problems and take care of the place as though it's their own.

Budget carefully, prioritize high-ROI renovations, and adhere to strict timelines to maximize profitability.

Is it smart to just sell, pull equity to put towards the new house or use the potential rent to put towards the new home payments once the rental overhead is taken care of?

Unless you use a local professional familiar with the market, who you trust, best way to know a good deal is to study the market.

I use problems like this to go an check out the problem and then the entire property while I'm there, looking for other problems, but also assessing HOW the tenant is taking care of the property.