Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

Are there any particular investing strategies or methods you’re leaning toward?

If the unit is empty, change the locks, clean it, and get it rented.

You might also look into learning about BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat), a popular method for scaling a portfolio.Network Locally: Engaging with local investors and attending meetups in markets like Dallas or Fort Worth can provide insights and connections that are invaluable.You'll find that momentum grows quickly.

You can do both, not an either or, but focus on the one you like the mostRE and CRE are great if done carefully and methodically and with patience, but so is picking individual stocks. 

F>Gov will shrink, but this immediate "cleaning house" is just that, a "cleaning house" so BETTER persons can be brought back in. 

Generally speaking if the people are clean the pets are also.

Sure, I could look for a higher paying job, but I was wondering if anyone has any creative short-term methods to improve my ratio.

I started by building a 12-door portfolio using the BRRRR method and self-managing initially.

Leaving out auction and foreclosure costs for a second, when you write that check for $220k the trustee is going to pay BigBadBank the $175k they are owed first, then he's going to pay LittleBadBank the remaining $45k, and you will get a clean title as the process is going to wipe the slate clean.