I intend to move out-of-state towards a warmer climate for college in order to have less weather-related maintenance on my properties.

I take this opportunity to correct a wrong assumption I had expressed in my original post: When a foreigner inherits a rental property located in the US from another foreigner, the exemption is not actually $60k.

Gave me the opportunity to see what success looked like, to learn from their successes and failures, to have in-person resources I could go to when questions or issues came up.So for me, having experience buying/owning a home combined with having local friends who can help are the two invaluable tools for what success I've experienced thus far.Hope that helps. 

@Austin Petrie there tends to be more rental opportunity on the MO side.

I've been presented with an opportunity to invest in a 7 acre parcel on a mountain in NC, and need some help evaluating it. 10% annual return on the $175k initial investment, and 50% of the net proceeds of each lot sale (12-14 lots). 

Then I got on bigger pockets and learned about BRRRR and thought this could be a great opportunity to refinance to get to the next one.What say ye, experts of biggerpockets?

Or a golden opportunity that somehow nobody but me has noticed?

I have an opportunity to purchase this home from a family frIend that has it now as a vacant rental and doesnt want the headache as hOUSE NEEDS EXTENSIVE RENOVATIONS.

If you are able to get the higher rates, that's your opportunity to outperform.Two leases don't make a market. 

If HUD intended for it to mean blood relation, they would have said that.