We stayed in an Airbnb with a woman near Jobos Beach who said she was trying to sell part of her oceanfront property - $450,000 for less than 1/2 acre which seemed high to me given the state of the economy and there aren't any structures on it either.

Make your journey about the s umbers first and you will enjoy it much more than the cute bungalow down the street that isn’t buying your next property.

I should also note that this wold be just me (a woman) managing all investment and rehab, which complicates things even more, if you've ever dealt with a contractor. 

SFH1 - new 350k spacious 2/2.5 in a small community walkable to a cute country town near a lake.

I have a handy woman she does all cleaning, painting, caulking, tile work, light plumbing, we recently paid for her to learn drywall and she replaced part of a ceiling for us.

While looking at the building, a elderly woman appeared out of the basement door. 

There is a movie about a guy who bought a Paris apartment from an elderly woman and gave her a life estate.

Apparently the elderly woman that had owned the house passed away and left it to her four daughters.

I've been able to negotiate a deal on rough terms with an elderly woman who is on disability payments with a ton of equity. 

If you find a good deal you should buy it with a FHA loan just don't get too cute about it and you will be just fine.