Another good point about the Springs is it's going to be more recession proof with the lower rent units because the Department of Defense makes up approx. 40% of the labor force here and aside from a once in 20 year furlough of a month pay I'd say it's recession proof to an extent. 

It might rise to the level of non-passive trade or Business If you qualify as RE pro or meet any of the rental exceptions. 3) Provided the requirements for a like-kind exchange are met, the suspended passive losses are carried over into the replacement property, and the income generated from the replacement property can be used to offset those suspended passive losses.One way to tap into the suspended losses of Like kind exchanged property and also defer the capital gain:  Structure an exchange to recognize again to the extent of the suspended loss.

One is a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom double wide.

You are mixing your primary residence with your investing, and to some extent your quality of life is more important.

Certainly take advantage of this match to its fullest extent.

, insurance (varies widely by zip code and even from one agency to another), property or area specific items like sewer (projected to increase substantially in some areas) and water (some towns have special projects/assessments coming up), specific deferred maintenance / capital items that may require funds within the first few years, etc.For me, something I like the first time home buyer program are nice extras to boost an actual realized return, but I don’t factor it into my analysis because the property will have to stand on its own as a pure rental someday, and also because it’s pretty difficult to predict the future 5 years out.

So much information to take in, but my mental door is wide open. 

@John Burg welcome to the wide world of real estate investing!

The low end was well served and the high end was well served but the middle was wide open.

This is a USA wide problem, not specific to one state.