This is more or less how I would handle the situation if I were in your shoes and why I would choose to at least start with a M2M lease. 

Hi @Derek SegesdyIf I were in your shoes, without having a niche, I would first purchase a mutli-family property (2-4 units) with an FHA loan.

Right at the start he started whining about how HE Underestimated the Cost of the job.Then his team of unskilled (I didn’t know at the time) illegals show up without their boss and speaking not a lick of english so I can’t even ask them to take off their shoes before they track some kind of dirt/grease throughout the carpets.Oh it gets worse... after I had left and came back they said they were done (or I think that’s what they were saying) and it looked like a bunch of 6 year olds did the job ~ didn’t even take the outlet and switch covers off, but painted around and in some cases over them.

The 1031 Exchange transaction must be set up and in place prior to the closing of the sale of your relinquished property and the purchase of your replacement property.The Qualified Intermediary essentially steps into your shoes and begins to act as the Seller for your relinquished property and then later as the buyer for your replacement property.

I found a great cloud-based brokerage that will allow me to train without physically being in the office taking leave from my military position.I think about finding a brokerage like going shoe shopping.

@Matt Smith, if i were in your shoes I would do it!

My grandfather and grandmother owned a bra factory and my cousins made their own shoes and had a shoe store.

If you own one property, you are at the mercy of the normal rental rates in that area.If I were in your shoes, I would prefer to own one property, with multiple units i.e a commercial building, since you only have to travel to one place to collect rent, perform maintenance & check up on that property.

HD will threaten to enforce unless you pay them to remove restrictions...Its all just leverage....to be used or not.If you'd like leverage, buy about 3-5% of HD stock and now the shoe is on the other foot!

You also have to put yourself in their shoes.