This is giving me the opportunity to  attend graduate school as well as have more time to spend with my 1 Yo.

If I spend 5-10k on a back yard could I expect to see a return?

A word of caution though—I’ve seen clients spend a crazy amount of money on marketing with very little results.

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/11212/79827-wait-before-you-spend-a-penny-investing-in-detroit

Just not excited about spending the lump sum so soon after taking ownership.

and I'm not being nosey, I genuinely like talking about people's finances and money and income and future plans etc - but I can see why people may think it's odd (I've never offended anyone that I know of, but I try to be aware that some people take money very personally).It's hard when you have these interests but feel like you can't talk to people about them  - on one of the podcasts I think it was Brandon Turner that said listening to podcasts counts and should be included with the whole idea of "you are the average of the five people you hang out with most" - it's super corny, but I took that to heart because I was unable to talk to people about my interests and felt a comfort of knowing I was still "okay" because I was "spending time" with BP and podcasts everyday and still learning and growing my interest.

I spend a lot of time in the area and move quickly on any for sale that interest me. 

No sense in spending $ to file for a judgement they will never pay.

Bank seller is not amenable to spending anything on the property before I settle.

I've lived in this city since I was 5 and it's been exciting to see the growth and changes that have happened and that seem to be in overdrive throughout the area over the past few years.There are definitely places to find good cash flow in the area but if you're wanting to spend lower, areas 30-60 minutes out of the area like Ashland City, Clarksville, Columbia, Hermitage, Dickson provide the best deals.