It's very easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment of something and lose sight of the end goal.

Area comps are pretty sporadic.I then want to refi with the goal of as little money out of pocket as possible. 

Good luck with your goals and investments.

Great that you have a lot of goals.

For example, someone calls in and you chat with them to find that they may not be interested in selling right then at your price for whatever reason, however over the next several months their motivation may change so a follow-up system should most certainly be in place to touch base with them again and again.On top of that, be sure you are finding 'why' they called in the first place because your main goal should be to solve their problem before all else as this will inevitably lead to closing deals.

My primary goal is financial freedom through long-term investments like rental properties.

Given the time of year and your goal to keep the tenant I would phase the change keeping it slightly below market until after January. 

Hi everyone I have set a goal to purchase my first investment property in December of this year.

Depends on your strategy and ultimate goal.

My goal is to work no more than 40 hours/week at my normal job and still be able to provide for my young family.