I am by no means an expert and certainly take my advice with a grain of salt, but I think its vitally important to have a clean financial house before you start looking at others.You have debt, you might have IRS issues, and your credit score is in the garbage bin.

Working on getting our team together....looking for a good RE tax person in the Salt Lake City, UT area.

Plus here's my Chatty Cathy version: Key factors in a coastal property rental: 1) distance to beach, 2) age of property, 3) quality of PM if you get one, 4) interior beachy vibe and vacation amenities, and 5) increased maintenance costs since salt air and possibly "entitled" quests on vacation can be hard on a house.  

If he is shoving a proforma down your throat you can tell him to pound salt, you will have months of evictions, renovations and attorney fees to deal with before you ever get to a proforma number.   

Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City are all pretty hot markets, but do your own due diligence. 

I have not done this so take everything I say with a grain of salt. 

I am a real estate broker in salt lake and also invest in multi unit buy and hold. 

Any mason worth their salt could take out the affected blocks and patch it back in. 

I found his show inspiring, though to take it with a grain of salt, because at the time I was watching it, I was actively on the hunt to buy a duplex and live on one side. 

You will be able to afford it because of your cash flow.Take my advise with a grain of salt.