No debating, no discussion, no alternate options.While you are renovating it, educate yourself on how to properly screen renters.

Does anyone have any experience/feedback for them, or alternates where you can invest and earn passively?

Final few questions: If I don't have an immediate friend/family connection is the BP community my next best bet for a mentor or are their alternatives? 

Then if your first and second choices go badly, you will have an alternative that can preserve the exchange.

This means approx. 125k out of pocket: anyone have alternate creative suggestions?

Alternatively, go to the REIA sites where wholesalers post stuff and then call the owner directly. 

I'm seeking alternative solutions to decrease the operating energy costs, and/or create an income stream selling excess energy back to the grid. 

If that is not the case, refinancing with the VA IRRRL loan (which only requires that you certify that you have been living in the home) allows you to rent the property and will have lower refinancing costs than many of your conventional alternatives, but requires that your refi saves a minimum 1% interest, can only be applied to refinance an existing VA loan, and can't be used to cash out equity so you are still stuck saving a down payment for your new home, but your costs on your existing property over the long run would be lower. 

Alternatively there is surely a legal process to get squatters out of a property.

We also make sure we have access to the online portal for the lender so we can make payments (an alternative is to have a title company service the loan).