If anyone has any recommendations on contractors and handymen in the area too I would love to get some more references.

(sidenote I am not recommending in this post to get divorced as a way to be a better real estate investor). 

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Love to hear your thoughts on this.When you don't have experience, I recommend you hire an attorney.

Are there strategies or options you can recommend to someone like me, who is both just starting out and has limited funds (worst combo ever?)?   

If you are serious about real estate, I highly recommend going pro.

What do to for a small 800sft home (2 bed 1 bath) that has no central air. It does have an evaporative cooler and older wall heater. Thinking of upgrading to a single wall unit minisplit to cover everything. Any tips ...

Any recommendations for neighborhoods to look at for flips, so I can do research? 

@Brian Adams so basically my plan is to use my agent, who is willing, to write the offer, use transactional funding to double close to another investor on my buyer's list.

It's an area I don't actively recommend STR as it does have usage limitations (duration restrictions between guests) but it's primarily a second home getaway and will transition to full time vacation rental down the line.