You have came to the right spot!

I would like to keep everything in one spot so starting out with a good lender that I would want to use in the future would be great.

As far as I know, Banks aren't in the habit of selling THEIR assets at 70% as-is market value.Will they let you buy their stocks/shares for the same 30% off their traded value?

If you have it in cash, you can make it work for you in other ways, either by buying another house, or putting it in the stock market.If you have no desire to grow your portfolio further, then paying off the loan earlier can makes sense.

I live in Spring Valley/Rancho San Diego--basically the southeastern most point of suburban San Diego--where housing prices are nearly spot on the 440k.  

A home inspection will reveal issues but a contractor can likely spot major issues immediately that could materially impact an offer price.

If you really want to see the inside then offer the tenants a $25 gift card to a local lunch spot and ask them to go to lunch on you this Saturday while you do your inspections.

As the stock market has gotten better in the past three months, the 10yr treasury yield has increased as well.

You should be taking the 50k out to beat the returns of the silly stock market by studying real estate.

What I would like to know, is if there is a forum that is just like this one, but is instead dedicated to investing in the market, like stocks, mutual funds, etc.