It's clear to me the tenant is testing you or developed financial issues.

Definitely speak with key non-recourse lenders like First Western Federal Savings or North American Savings bank about their programs before developing a strategy. 

I am willing to volunteer my time to help with administrative tasks while I learn, and freely exchange my social media marketing knowledge.

@Erik Whiting  I get the U cant eat equity.. rationale.. but there are other uses for equity that are not really talked about on BP simply becasue 95% of the folks here are in one asset class rental houses or units.In other real estate endevours equity is a critical part to enable one to take down different types of debt IE construction and development loans.  

I am willing to volunteer my time to do administrative tasks while I learn.  

Being in the tech space, maybe you want to find a way to blend the two, like others have with different products they've developed and brought to the market.Maybe you'd like to invest passively in real estate, there are a ton of platforms/services/sponsors for that.Then of course there are the more traditional active investing paths like self storage, multifamily, mobile home parks, office, warehouse, parking lots, raw land, the list goes on and on.I recommend researching the different strategies here on BP to figure out which is best for you.

Develop some metrics that make sense for you. 

During my time at school, I befriended two other like-minded guys and together we have discussed the idea of dipping our feet into real estate investment and maybe one day starting a development company. 

Due to this, these markets are now showing strong growth in both rents and development.

Because you're having trouble finding deals, investing some energy into people that already have developed systems and ways of getting you deals could be worth your time, but totally your call!