If you are capable of mitigating those risks there is no reason to stay away from them.C - class neighborhoods are normally harder for first time investors because there is a lot of nuance between section 8 and assistance agencies that people do not understand. 

Unfortunately, after doing so I remembered that I have two IRA accounts that I had somewhat lost track of.

I am very new to any form of USDA financing, but I am not sure how to make it work for me here.Using a more conventional commercial mortgage or construction loan may work, but the current owners live in the property and have only rented the place out while they were out of town, thus it has netted much less than it is is capable of and P&L is lite. 

Lately I’ve been getting a few hits a day on that old post. need to track it down and delete it I’ve already hired someone. 

For non-RE professionals, sellers or companies sometimes require ID to keep track of every person who visits the property.Best of luck to you on your first deal!

Unless you have a strong track record and existing relationship, I'd look to other options.

I am in no rush to leave my property, but I do like to stay on track with schedule.

Now add in the time to find and vet a property, complete a renovation (if necessary), and rent it out.Private lenders and HML are pretty much off the table right now, since you have no track record.You can absolutely find and execute a deal, just don't get discouraged when it takes longer than you think.

I know a decent amount of the capabilities but do you know what creative lists we can find??

This would leave 100% of the funds in the tax-sheltered IRA, but give the IRA the capability to invest in real estate instead of (or in addition to) stocks.