Having a good reliable team such as PM's and contractors  is key and can be hard to find in the area. 

OR also requires that you at least permit lock changing by the victim but they do have to supply landlord with the key within a reasonable period.My question really pertains to not know where the wife was.

I think the key here is what the property didn't need; a gut. 

While you likely don't need an attorney to draft a residential PA (1-4 units), there is key language you need to add to the addendum to avoid surprises at closing--i.e. $0 in security deposit transferred at closing with $0 in pro-rated rent that you have to evict at your cost. 

I hope to keep driving costs low in either case:This might be naive on my part, but if I invest remotely, I'm hoping to get my feet wet with a turn-key property with a property manager. 

The key to all of this is to not just talk about doing it and go do it! 

Closing was late in day on 31st which was deadline for delivering notice.

I'm starting to stress market growth in my potential markets more than I did before, knowing that's one of the biggest keys to a stable rental market.

A key point here; don't let the inspection kill the deal! 

The key that qualifies property for 1031 treatment is the actual sale of real estate and purchase of actual real estate.This is where the fund will not be available because you are probably not purchasing a tenant in common interest in the real estate itself.