Our plan at the moment, and it is ever changing, is to concentrate on refinancing our current FHA loan into a conventional. 

If I were you, I would sell the house and concentrate on moving to your new destination. 

I have a mathematics degree along with my masters in finance, with a concentration in real estate.

The big stuff is just too risky and a high concentration of capital in one spot for an individual investor. 

You have to buy properties that target a very specific tenant pool that has the highest concentration of what I call "good" tenants.

Plus, the additional benefit of mortgage pay down.With your background it may make sense to concentrate on value-add opportunities where you can reposition a property and cash-out refi in a couple of years to keep doing more deals.

For me, in a very concentrated university environment, extended stay rental for academics is also in very short supply so that is even an easier switch.  

As a general rule of thumb - sandy soils are better than high concentrations of clay/rock.

In both instances, communicating clear expectations, overall underwriting style and being seen as the expert in your area of concentration is what proves to attract capital in all market cycles. 

Concentrate on the facts, and the data you have.