Due to new circumstances, you no longer want to live in Austin, what to do, lose 6k walk away, buy it and rent it or buy and sell it.Before I give you my opinion ask yourself this question.  

No matter how carefully you plan, the unexpected crops up or there are unforeseen delays.The key is to understand this and to plan for it!

Circumstances changes we don’t want to sell?

It is a good strategy in certain circumstances.

There is definitely a circumstance for using truly private capital, local hard money, national hard/private money, or a broker - just depends on the scenario, in my opinion The Demise of “Hard Money” in a Private Lending World | American Association of Private Lenders (aaplonline.com)

Depends on the circumstances of your investments but I think it's generally easier not to have it.

I had the prior seller finish eviction on 2 of the tenants, but the final tenant I took over the process as it wouldn't have been completed for months due to certain circumstances.

For my first deal, I would personally look for a property at a higher price point (nicer asset/neighborhood), needs work in the dollar amount of no more than half of what I paid for it (less room for error and mainly cosmetic items), and has a reasonable spread based on comps after taking into account all expenses on a 6 month hold (so I can at least try to break even should unexpected circumstances arise). 

Do not under any circumstances, try to use hard money.

In most cases, its added extra utility and maintenance costs along with other unforeseen headaches.