I've reached the point where I'm ready to partner up! 

Since you got an appraisal done about a year ago you can add about 10% to that value they provided to get an idea of where fair market value stands today as a ballpark.No appraiser I know is going to look at the HOA financials and factor that in, because they are only concerned with the asset for appraisal although we all know the health of the HOA and financials still play a factor in the sale of a condo.I'm dealing with a similar HOA right now for one of my listings where the reserve is at only 7% funded for what's needed for the budget and there is an upcoming special assessment for each unit. 

Invest the rest on where you truly want to be into a legacy property.

Sometimes I have really good days where I find 30 houses in an hour or I drive around for 3 hours and find only 5.

We've had 3 in the past 4 months where out of state clients bought homes in the 70 - 78k range we rented them for $995 - 1150 but they usually get under contract in 3 or 4 days at most.   

Do you have the necessary down to purchase where you’re moving without selling?  

Our first hurdle is figuring out what type of REI we want to get into and where to start our search. 

And you point out an important detail about long-term plans- yes we are looking at this as a buy and hold hopefully for decades to come, where we'd do everything you said: contesting taxes, refinancing when possible, raise rents when appropriate.

As I go through this journey I have also decided to educate myself in real estate investment so that I can be best prepared for July 2020, this is the point when I will be debt-free and will be shifting all my energy to actively investing in real estate utilizing the BRRR method.To that end, I have made it a goal to analyze 2 properties per day so I can become familiar with my area and become comfortable analyzing properties...and that is where my issue is.

Also, they have access to a tremendous amount of information and connections to those trades that we all need more access to. you may also ask where are the regulations stated in writing, then you will have the ability to answer further question you may have regarding these matters