Personally I think CT and RI have a lot of potential.

On the other hand these are also where you might find your deepest buys so it really just depends on your personal strategy and buy box, many investors are having success in these areas. 

Preferably go to the Credit Union in your city and ask for a Heloc .

If you are doing section 8, there's a good guy I know of that handles that although I don't have personal experience in this space.

I am personally not attached to things so I would sell everything vs paying for storage or risking renting to a less-than-ideal tenant. 

There is a Bigger Pockets investor that started with some successful Airbnbs he personally manages of his own in Nashville TN & Columbus Ohio.

My question is - does the 7 feet per person equilibrium rule apply to total NRSF in the 3 mile or can that be broken down by class (cc vs non cc, facility age, etc) and the 7 rule applied as a cap to each individual class?

It was inmy LLC name but I personally guaranteed it foolishly using my house as collateral.

If you want to use the VA loan, I would just go ahead and do it in your personal name and just make sure you have a good insurance policy (the first line of defense). 

I prefer to learn from people that actually have been doing the business a long time & still are doing it.