Although I am outside of my comfort zone and feel like an absolute tool (I'm lost and that's uncomfortable), my faith, drive, and want to achieve my family and life goals continues to motivate me to get outside of my comfort zone and push for continuous improvement.  

I'd consider doing some kind of cash out refi on the property at a number you're both comfortable pulling out, while still leaving $ for reserves to maintain the STR you currently have.

In the meantime watch the BP podcasts and use the BP calculator to start analyzing deals so you get comfortable with the numbers.By this time next year I would say if you do this you'll have 10k in a bank account with an ok credit which should make you eligible for an FHA loan to buy (1-4 Units) with 3.5% down and get you started. 

Active real estate investors who can't get comfortable not being in the driver's seat, people who just don't like real estate as an investment, those who can't get comfortable with the risks, those who just don't understand syndicate investments, those who have heard bad things about this type of investing from others, and people who have invested in syndicates and experienced bad results.

But I now have the right parameters to feel comfortable doing this.  

For tenants, we want to create a stable and comforting home so we only work with owners who are willing to invest in the property and make a true home for the tenants.

We ended up going with GC we feel comfortable with, will work with insurance company and complete getting our house back together.

For me personally, I consider it a B neighborhood because it's walking distance to so many amenities, and I felt mostly safe raising my family there, but not everyone is comfortable living in a developing area.Last year (2024), we moved out of the home and converted it into a rental.

It depends on what you are comfortable doing. 

My biggest piece of advice is to learn to "get comfortable being uncomfortable"!