Real estate seems like a place where my energy and attention would do well, I think the first real hurdle is finding myself an affordable deal.How did you start out, if you don't mind sharing your first purchase?

So, sounds to me like you just dodged a bullet with this ... personally, I would not only reconsider this property, but also reconsider your entire strategy of investing out of state in rough areas (whether you realize it or not) where you are clearly unfamiliar with the market, a newbie to REI all together, and 100% reliant on realtors and such that may or may not have your best interests at heart.

Negative energy at home https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/119..., basically it is a long and sometimes slow process. 

I have a personal credit score of >700, have the available time and energy to educate myself, put in sweat equity, and pursue creative financing.My goal is to purchase my first property by November 7th, 2016.

At this point, I reminded my manager of our conversation a year prior, and with her agreement, we fixed the insulation.These days, I have gone beyond that- when tenants move out, I replace the lighting with low energy LED fixtures or bulbs to reduce their electric bills(the LED bulbs last decades, so it's basically a one-time investment.)

I would suggest you put your energy and resources into getting a deal under your belt rather than finding someone to hold your hand. 

You can create an LLC in under an hour so I would be more focused on devoting the time and energy to find the deals, getting your finances sorted and analyzing potential properties.

And yes, I truly believe online legal document is dangerous, however, I get mine online then have it read and bullet proofed by a seasoned professional, this will get my costs down on the drafting side, the modification will be more than what I paid for but definitely be worth more than a pierce in corporate veil.Welcome to the corporate world.

I'm waiting for the bigger pockets tax book to come out on audible but I need to bite the bullet, get and read the hardcopy like it's still year 1999.  

I will come back when next quarter's water bill arrives to report if this was the silver bullet.