I persisted and much to my surprise one day the door opened a crack and thus began a multi month journey through this man’s personal hell that eventually led to a $30,000 profit.He owned a local Jamaican bakery that was failing; his marriage was ending and his soon-to-be-ex moved out with their 5 year old daughter; and now he had lost his house.

definitely want to reach out to a local realtor . 40k is a good amount to get into a fix and flip 

I would check out some local meetups and meet with as many investors as I can.

I posted on 2 local community groups that I will be selling my house in the next month or so .

It's a 7-unit shopping plaza, all units are rented to local/ neighborhood businesses.

I'm in Knoxville too. happy to connect you with anyone locally. 

Are local credit unions more flexible on these criteria?

I'm also a Realtor® here in Orlando and also on the board of CFRI, the local chapter of the National REIA.

Just got a phone call from a local fencing contractor telling me that he just finished installing a fence at one of my rentals. 

Nothing beats local knowledge though & speaking with boots on the ground.