The tenant in the house was very upset by this and told him to stop coming to the house and that it made her uncomfortable.  

You should definitely shop around if you're uncomfortable with your current CPA.There are a number of knowledgeable CPAs here on BP, most of whom specialize in real estate.

I've seen loans hovering around 3-4% most routinely.

Make it a habit or routine to educate yourself about real estate.

This may or may not be an obstacle for you.In the meantime, you can get some experience...With summer coming up, see if you can land a job with a property management company or with student housing--even just maintenance or doing routine paperwork. 

I am currently uncomfortable with holding a lot of cash, I feel that per dollar purchasing power is dwindling down by the day.

If you have a busy 9-5 routine but have the money to get started and don't have enough time, turnkey companies provide some of the best resources to scale your portfolio.

It has saved me days of time already.Wondering what creative or routine tasks that your VA does for you?  

Hi Justin.responding to what I think is the pointy end of your message:  "The burden at this point is being responsive to messages, booking inquiries and the like".Similar situation, have two rentals, one up and running the other we just closed on and getting ready to rent.The original plan was my wife was going to run the business but I've found myself handling the customer communications because she's just not the kind of person who monitors her phone and responds to alerts.So far I have the routine communications automated and message templates to cover frequently asked questions.Regarding booking inquiries I see that as sales activity; that's where buying decisions get made.

It felt uncomfortable to have my personal house on the line.