It sounds like you navigated the challenges well and gained valuable lessons for your next venture.

I’ve done 1 rental property and sold it to gain capital and did 1 flip that didn’t go so well so not 100% experienced to say the least.

I backed up, regrouped and went smaller to gain more experience. 

It takes time and patience, success and sometimes failure, to gain 'experience' at anything you choose to do.  

I'm quite not 100% on wether or not if I purchase my first investment property where I currently live (Virginia) (*which I will be*). should I also gain my license here since I'll have a property within Virginia.

I’d fix it up and list it to sell after I’d been there two years to take the gain tax free.

Capital gains realized by nonresidents on the sale of Portuguese property are taxed at a flat rate of 28%.

@Dylan Jeluso see if you can join a team in your real estate office to gain experience.

If the buyer is losing money on his investment, and walks away without gain, then by definition there is no “equity skimming”.  

There was something in it for both of us.You have to find some sort of common ground or gain a lot of trust to show how serious you are about this.