Best way to get started is to start to gather data to answer your question: "Is $45K enough to invest". 

The info was from Galveston, TX, but now that I think about it, I think the data might've been a year or two old, which is probably making a big difference.  

If they took a shortcut on something simple and obvious like wallpaper, they probably took a shortcut on something complex and costly buried in a wall somewhere.

Some ideas I've had are to start selling off properties and try to 1031 exchange into an apartment complex with management or sell off properties and 1031 exchange them into properties closer to where we want to move to. 

The following infographics and data is courtesy of the Austin Board of Realtors:Housing inventory has marginally increased to 1.1 months for both the City of Austin and the entire MSA.

Hi, I’m interested in getting STR data from AirDNA for multiple markets but their monthly fee is very high ($500+ /month for an annual subscription) for all markets.

I'm looking into potentially purchasing a 12 unit apartment complex and am trying to figure up my deductions.

You'll get tons of valuable data and comps.

The real estate industry is likely just at the beginning of a significant shift towards greater use of data and data-driven decision making.

If your main tax complexity will be through real estate, then you can connect with one of the firms here on the forums.