Is it within small claims limits?  

Seems like you're limiting your search to either conventional financing or cash.

These are big players though with lot's of money and properties.An investor with less experience there can be more risk in leveraging especially with limited assets as a mistake can be greatly amplified.

I would have had the seller sign a 3rd party authorization and limited power of attorney when we closed on the sale.

And my recommendation is purely based on my personal limited experiences. 

Some will limit you to one move. 

I'll be honest, my knowledge when it comes to real estate is fairly limited. 

You could form an LLC or limited partnership. 

The ability to get above market rents is limited to bad areas.

I am having trouble searching for distressed properties in the area as the conventional sites like Zillow or Realtor.com have limited amounts of listings.