That will help you narrow down your strategy, whether your primary focus will be fix n flip, buy n hold, BRRRR, etc. 

I invest in A, B, and C areas

You need to narrow down EXACTLY one strategy that you want to do first.

Once you answer that, you can narrow down the type of investment and start your search 

Deduct the cleaning costs (list some of the specifics, but say cleaning such as A, B and C) and any costs for damages that were above normal wear and tear and return the balance of the deposit. 

You can search the forum and find previous discussions on the topic which would lead you to some providers, narrow down your search to few and jump on the call with them, which will help you make a final selection. 

I narrowed the cities down to Greater Metro Atlanta are and Dallas Metroplex.  

Yes the properties are in B and C+ areas.

Most of the adults here posted that there is precious little data on the father's situation to narrow things down, and a whole lot more would be needed to weed out less useful ideas.As you seem a bit fixated on me (I'd be flattered -- but no, not really), I suggested evaluating the father's debt status and terms of the loan to determine what might be paid off or put off if better gains could be had with that opportunity cost. 

Then you are also at the mercy of their front desk sometimes for guest reception which could be great, or horrible, depending on the resort.Anyway, I would just love to be able to narrow down my search (as we try and get closer to our first property) and get rid of some of my nagging doubts or confusion about which direction would be best to go.I would greatly appreciate any feedback and first hand experiences that anyone has with these types of circumstances!