I'm writing this post to see if there is any advise to give me or a mentor that's willing to help me understand if this is an area in business that I can grow in.

Every strategy you described, gets you less than a 0.1% conversion rate.

I know Austin has alot of appreciation potential, but I'd reanalyze your investment and see any other potential strategies (sell, MTR?

If you truly want to be taken seriously in this business, you're going to have to put in a bit more effort.

I just sold my business and in looking for ways to offset capital gains taxes stumbled across a strategy in which a STR can write off all depreciation in year one via a cost segregation analysis, thereby reducing taxable income greatly for a specific year.

I'd recommend checking out BiggerPockets Find A Lender Tool to filter for optionshttps://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/lenders

How does anyone find a way out of the scourge of renting with these kinds of business practices by landlords? 

Just open a separate bank account, give it a business name and keep track of all income and expenses.

Do you have specific criteria or a particular investing strategy you’d like to explore?

Which will bring plenty of other investors and general business to the area.