It took my husband and I a while before we took the plunge...we brought our first property last June and closing on a second SFH this Friday! 

What are the more successful approaches that you have taken? 

Be confident, if age is brought up turn it positive.

@Jay Lipshez I also second the Hard Money approach.

Im not sure how to approach this, especially because I plan on occupying the vacant unit.

You need to approach lenders with numbers ready and a good understanding of how HM works. 

@Jay Hinrichs yeah I'll be learning out of Angwin, my parents live right next to the north approach.

He said he and his repair-man are going to come over tomorrow to see about a different approach to fixing the pipe with the electrical tape currently on it, and 'spray' the mold in the kitchen (and in the Master Bathroom, another location with 'suspicious looking' spots).    

Actually on the day I closed I came to know that the city I brought my rental property has a law that I need to have property management firm to manage my property if I live out of state.

It's also important to keep in mind that every additional rental property you own is another potential source for legal trouble, so if you grow to a certain size(and Terrell might be approaching that size), it's almost inevitable that some tenant will get a valid reason(such as falling through a porch you didn't know was rotten) to sue you over a 10 year period.