I didn't know much about real-estate back then, but I did know that owning was a smarter choice than renting and throwing money away.

Rents are NOT your choice. 

Local banks are popular, as is seller financing.

You could give the tenants 2 or 3 color options that match the existing color scheme and let them make the final choice so they feel like they have a voice in the process. 

Obviously, interest rates in general have declines A LOT more than the decline in my target yield.In 1981 I had my choice of notes.

REIN and TNREIA are two very popular meetups around here and will help you get connected in the investor community.

I have been browsing the most popular real estate mentors online.

As much as I rather not go through this I guess I have no choice but to because of these tenants.

You will need to get a local, rockstar Realtor, contractor, lender, and property manager. https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-team As for picking a specific market, I would choose one that has job and population growth with a high median income, and Columbus, Ohio is a great choice.

My and my partner's hospitality (hotel) background and my company's commercial expertise makes us a great choice for small to midsized hotels and motels.