I want to be licensed and invest so I though what better way to find the information, guidance and complete know how to become both.

It sounds silly but in our market this is difficult to find. 

@Blake Alan Quarrie sounds like the city is pressing you and most likely because someone is complaining to the alderman(neighbor most likely).  

However, it's important to ensure that all requirements for a valid 1031 exchange are met, including identifying replacement property within 45 days of the sale and completing the exchange within 180 days.I would suggest you get with a real estate focused accountant asap to take care of this.

That's a smart move – the location sounds perfect for attracting tourists and outdoor enthusiasts.

I have stellar credit and own my personal residence (valued approx $950k) free and clear, so it would be easy for me to get financing personally to purchase it and then transfer to LLC, but that sounds like that could be messy.

Our screening is all completed online, and our reports are electronic. 

I live 2.5 hours from there and initally I started out completely on my own, with a local housekeeper that I found from Angie's List. 

  $1M is not as much as it sounds like, especially these days.

Simply buy new homes, by completion you generally have 10-20k in appreciation.