Upkeep of the property- landscaping, debris removal, handling maintenance requests, keeping the property in top condition- this is where amateurs drop the ball. 2-3 years go by and they run the asset into the ground and sell for a loss.

The lease was terminated when she violated the conditions of it.It's your ball, your court. 

Any suggestions on how I can start getting the ball rolling? 

I'm first looking to connect with any great conventional lenders/mortgage brokers and realtors to get the ball rolling! 

So I could then in a year or so (if the market holds as is) pull out some money for a new rental property to get the ball rolling.

I'm also pondering a pivot to STR, since small-ball investors like us are being put in the same "evil landlord" camp as the BlackRocks of the world...

I have a decent amount of money to help get this ball rolling, and time.

Tax sales are a whole other ball of wax, different than retail properties.

Allow me to polish my crystal ball and see what she says: Change.Yes change is always a constant in Real Estate.When more people feel comfortable selling and put their property for sale the skyrocketing values will level off.There is no hope of building our way out of this fast.There still are almost five million houses in forbearance, haven't paid since 3/2020- will those people find pre pandemic paying jobs?

No one has a crystal ball, but history and present day events are pointing more towards a down turn in my opinion.