That extra $500 isn't saving you money...it's costing you money you aren't spending now. 

You might consider engaging an attorney to draft a "Mutual Agreement to Terminate Lease" or something to that effect that is valid in your state.A simple 1-2 page agreement outlining that 1) she has surrendered or abandoned the premises, 2) you have her permission to dispose of her personal property, 3) and you have her permission to liquidate her deposit for past due rent, can save you tons of potential legal headaches down the road, and would likely be far less expensive and time consuming than an eviction.Forget trying to collect on the remaining months of the existing lease.

Will be doing tons of research over the coming months and not sure if I want to wait a few years and save up or get in sooner.

If the "air conditioner" you referred to in your post is a window unit that would fall out when you turned the house upside down, then it is 5-year personal property; otherwise, 27.5-year propertyLandscaping and ground improvements are 15 year property that would include driveway and sidewalks.For a single family rental, a cost segregation study is most likely more expensive than your tax savings could ever recover through accelerated depreciation. 

Saves me from lawyer fees. 

I'd like to talk to you to get some preliminary information on your property and then I will get you a no-cost 8 page analysis to show you what your cash savings would be this year and going forward.

If you're looking to get into flips, being your on Realtor will save you the 3% commission when you list the home, and if you are buying off of the MLS, you can earn a 3% commission for purchasing the property. 

I think that since I've saved a lot and have stable income elsewhere, along with several other friends in similar situations, I'd like to get right into multifamily units and/or partnering on even larger stuff. 

sounds like you have some good ideas keep learning and save up capital in the meanwhile. 

I'm not sure what your financing strategy is for your early phases, but it will save you time and money in the long run if you're familiar with all your options now.