Go sit in the parking lot to see when the PM shows up. 

This means a lot to me. 

It's hard to watch the flood damage in the news because my wife and I have visited numerous times.

I think you answered your own question - you should expect you will travel a lot to this area  - but maybe ????

At the time of my purchase I was swayed by my realtor and his affiliated PM business despite  numerous higher ups at my employer trying convince me otherwise.

But there's a lot to like about the Portland suburbs as well, it just depends on what you are hoping to achieve, the skills or assets you bring to the table, and your timeline.

You are going to be paying a lot to have someone living in it.While you are living with your in-laws, continue to put aside the money you'd be paying for the mortgage (after the house sells) and save it up. 

It’s a terrible thing to do to people and unfortunately I feel the virtual model is a lot to blame for this.

There are numerous packages available.

The people lending you the money will have done numerous deals.