Also, if the role is purely commission-based, would I need to maintain a parallel career to make ends meet?

If your goal is only initial cash flow, almost any major metro with a declining population will meet this need.

Beyond trying to connect on this forum would recommend look in the BP Meet up section and checking out local DFW FB RE investor Facebook groups as well as Meetup.com and Eventbrite for local events. 

My team traveled to Arizona to meet with the FlipOS team, who had recently raised substantial funding—$136 million in 2021, followed by $50 million in May, 2022 and an additional $100 million in August 2022.

Since this is my only property I do not mind and with my flexible schedule I am able to spend time doing this. 

. --- Who gets all the phone calls and wastes time calming a tenant down because the owner's contractor doesn't show up as scheduled after they took time off from work or a 3 day job takes 3 weeks?

If you pay more, you won't meet your metrics and will probably have negative cashflow and/or equity.You may have to make 10, 20 or even 100 offers to get one accepted at the price that meets your numbers.This is what all investors did BEFORE the Great Real Estate Crash of 2008-2010.

The Yale Law Journal article, "Zoned Out: How Zoning Law Undermines Family Law’s Functional Turn," highlights this issue, noting that while family law has evolved to recognize diverse family structures, zoning laws have lagged behind, potentially hindering innovative housing solutions like co-living.Challenges for Co-Living InvestorsFor real estate investors interested in co-living, these restrictive definitions can lead to:Legal Barriers: Difficulty obtaining permits or approvals for co-living spaces due to non-compliance with traditional family definitions in zoning codes.Operational Challenges: Potential fines or legal disputes arising from housing arrangements that don't conform to local zoning definitions of a household.Market Limitations: Reduced ability to meet the growing demand for affordable, shared housing solutions.Advocacy for ReformThe Bloomberg article, "Why Are Zoning Laws Defining What Constitutes a Family?"

Anyone near North Port Id love to meet and talk real estate!

As long as you're filing jointly, both meeting the 2 yr use test, and either meeting the ownership test, then the full $500k can be claimed.