I have been working on my google/Zillow/Facebook pages to increase my inbound leads but I definitely put more effort and money into outbound lead sources.

. $340 - $315k = $25k which is too lean for the effort and risk.  

I genuinely wish you well sir.  

So it will take patience and effort to find a property that works out on the numbers.

Genuinely want to know the best way to put my money to work, without having to involve other parties.

Simply send a notice to the tenant and the family friend that while you appreciate their tenancy over the past years, you have decided to sell at market rate and will need the property vacated within 90 days (or as required by law for this scenario, but give them an abundance of time, particularly considering upcoming Holidays) in order to prep for sale and start marketing efforts.

I would put some effort into marketing for off market deals. 

While they will take more time and effort than searching online or speaking with real estate professionals, they can be a lucrative way to find properties to flip.Check out this list of offline sources for finding properties to flip:Public recordsTax recordsProbate courtDriving for dollarsYou can also try auctions.

With a genuine hunger to learn, university education, low bills and high time, the world is yours bro!

my view of rent by room is it can provide a better return, but it requires more effort, has higher vacancy, and due to higher turnover, higher turn over costs.