THIS would also be a great time for you to go apply for some 0% financing credit cards (which I also did). 

I hope to be able to help people thru the process and get them out of situations that could get worse and move them in a more positive direction.

I wish I had someone to guide me in a better direction but this is all I can think of.

What I learned from my research is (1) It is not a loan paid to you directly.  

But, how does this concept apply to buy and long-term hold?

Find properties direct / or find them through wholesale, rehab through a contractor, then use a property management company to manage the property.

I am pretty sure I take all the deductions I'm due and I've vehicles such as as solo 401K, self-directed IRA, Roth, etc. but I think I might be missing out on larger-picture strategies for investing and tax savings.

The 2% rule doesn't take into account any expenses you have and the demand for your area, so certain areas of the country will have different returns and it wouldn't be prudent to apply a rule everywhere.

Start doing direct mail campaigns and then go from there. 

One thing to look into would be a self directed IRA if using your retirement account to invest in real estate.