I belive it's more a result of not sufficiently upkeeping old construction. 

If renting would be the better choice, are there any investors that have a property that could accommodate them and their animals?

You will have to live in the property for at least a year, and you have to have sufficient equity into the property as well.

That said, my job and family situation limit my ability to travel to remote markets or personally manage properties, at least before I can replace my income with sufficient cash flow.What tools (books, threads, etc.) would you suggest for me to use to learn the basics of remote buy and hold?

If you use your name then you could apply for a low interest rate conventional loan but if you use business or LLC name then you have to apply for a commercial loan with higher interest rate.My money is on conventional loan, they only allow 4-10 of those loans anyways and then you have no choice but to go with portfolio or commercial loans.

As long as the timeline for your closing on the 1031 and the 30 day closing requirement for a cash Hud purchase coincide ,you should be fineYou will need a proof of funds letter from your facilitator showing sufficient cash available to closeI would also check with the facilitator and the title company you choose and ask if any additional closing documents will need to be signed by HUD and get them approved in advance if necessary .  

So basically, i should try to get paid by a note when closing a sandwich, and only use transactional funding if i have no other choice. 

I've been told a couple different things and want to be sure - one person said that renter's insurance policy is sufficient.  

Bad choices all around; my father was an alcoholic who eventually died in a nursing home from end stage liver disease with his brain totally pickled from this disease.Gail

You have a choice on when to start Unless you have an income problem.