Here's a thought ... if you want to be an entrepreneur and you are not seeing a meetup near you that meets your needs, then consider starting one ... that's what entrepreneurs do, they identify gaps in the market and create things to fill those gaps ... you can use BP to help.

Practicing to identify a rental property based on the 2% rental rule.

Holiday Inn Greenwich Road

Aside from these considerations, would managing a vacation rental from 120 miles down the road be exceedingly difficult?

I'd rake in as much OT as possible and save for the kid and future investing say 6 mos to a year down the road

Cost segregation studies identify assets for accelerated depreciation and correct the depreciation according to MACRS. 

One was on a duplex we had removed multiple layers of old linoleum from and staged on the front porch to be hauled to our dumpster and the other was that house fire I wrote about on another post.In both cases I was able to immediately call the city inspector, get an understanding of what the issue is and identify that I "work in Toledo, invest in Toledo, pay taxes in Toledo, believe in building a better Toledo" and give them a specific time when the issue will be resolved.

This assumes that these are not retirement funds that you would incur penalties and taxes to access.HOWEVER, I would make a detailed budget and identify where I could squeeze extra money out of your cash flow from employment to take down this debt first.  

Including equity, cash flow, appreciation down the road?

What other key indicators you need to identify when looking to invest in an emerging market.