(I used to teach in Oregon so have about $49,000 as a lump sum that I have access to now without penalty.)  

We have the down payment and access to cash for the renovation - but getting a conventional mortgage would be tricky because we had to walk away from a mortgage in 2008 (surprise, surprise) and it took the bank until 2013 to finalize the paperwork - hence, our waiting period is until 2020.But the deal is NOW! 

At first it wasn’t a huge bother to me but after checking the listings again due to that surreal feeling of “I did it, I negotiated my first deal” and constantly looking at it with that sense of pride, it starting to hit me.

There is this auction coming up for a ultra luxury beach house/ranch direct access to the sand.

Thus the market for rent is set by what people can afford to pay without being able to access credit and borrow.

At first it wasn’t a huge bother to me but after checking the listings again due to that surreal feeling of “I did it, I negotiated my first deal” and constantly looking at it with that sense of pride, it starting to hit me.

People speak bad of the area but its quick access to the outdoors and a beautiful countryside.

A lot of forum members are very knowledgeable in their respective fields related to real estate investing, whether that is real estate sales, wholesaling, flipping, rentals, lending, self-directed IRA and Solo 401k investing, or tax and legal guidance.There are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guidesThe site has quite a few tools that can be helpful for new members.

I’m open to all info

It doesn't help that we live across the country and couldn't assess a lot of these problems ourselves...but that wouldn't change anything, we can cash flow elsewhere without the constant attention to maintenance!