@Shane Duncan are there 401k or other fund like life insurance policy you can tap into?

Buy NNN, avoid the property tax risk, insurance premium etc.

I had the idea these housing prices would start coming back down to earth sooner; I'm currently in a home that I planned to rent when I purchased it.

Our house is assessed at 415000 and the mortgage is 269000 and not declining because everything goes to interest, taxes, and insurance, nothing to principal.

The plan is to create an Excel sheet where I could plug the basics into a formula and it would give me a side-by-side view of how the investment looks with each fund option. 

I just started an application with Bank of America, which is where I do my banking, but damn, they want a complete application with records on all six of my properties, P&L statements, insurance riders, and the whole nine yards. 

I own, am planning to retire to the East Coast with my son and two little dogs.

Do you plan to self fund or hardmoney/etc? 

Right now you are the licensed, insured, have  o experience and if you work remotely off little in the way of hands on at a property.Honestly someone could hire a Virtual Assistant from a other country.I would try and build your resume by working for a company for now.

The optimal plan of action is determined by your personal objectives, level of risk tolerance, and state of the market.Good luck!