The lender will require the buyer of a short sale to be an arms length party, and you're excluded from that. 

Towns like these interest me as they seem to have some solid opportunities available for someone with motivation and the will to succeed, while also being home to beautiful mountains with hunting, fishing, and outdoor opportunities.Also I'll be all over these states so if any BP members would like to meet up, get coffee/dinner, and B/S with my wife and I about RE that'd be awesome!

At the end of the day it's about what fits you best and who has the right bells and whistles at the right price point for you.....and conversely you meeting their requirements to borrow.Provided you don't prove yourself to be an idiot or an unacceptable lending risk and they will be just as eager to lend to you as you are to borrow.That said, until you hand them a financial statement and a deal they can evaluate for lending purposes,  you will get some very vague hypotheticals for the most part.  

Also, this would be an all-cash sale, so wouldn't have to worry about any mortgage-related issues.Any thoughts/suggestions would be extremely helpful, thanks in advance!

And, to a person, they will push back on advise that appears counter to the dream.If you really want to be an investor, make a decision.

That would be an unreasonable accommodation, because it would cause a real financial hardship for you.

They have all been tire kickers looking to buy at a steep discount as well or folks wanting to meet for coffee and 'pick my brain' about investing.

@Nathan Galvan If this is going to be an investment I would start learning all you can about the numbers side of REI, and start practicing what will make sense when it comes to calculating costs.  

Ironically that'd be an ideal property for me.  

It seems like most high caliber people got there through networking and are very open to free coffee:)