I am interested networking with fellow investors and feel it would be mutually beneficial and provide a great chance to further my career in real estate.

I am relocating to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in November of 2015 and beginning a new career in Real Estate.  

And have a career that will span decades

If you want to flip this property, you don't have to do anything right now, when it goes under contract and during home inspection if the buyer asks for replacement than you could either replace it or offer them a suitable amount.

That question might be best posed to a suitably qualified attorney.Ask about setting up a business entity / structure to acquire the property and see if that might insulate it against being deemed community property in the divorce.

My entire career has been working as a government contractor and due to the lack of job security, I've lost my job multiple times. 

I am beginning my REI career with such limited resources and with soooooh much to learn that it is honestly crazy for me to compute sometimes!

It's an investment towards your REI "career", which would translate into reduced risk in future investments.

But like you mentioned, I bet most players in REI have had this exact feeling once or twice in their career.

I have an engineering education, a career in oil and gas equipment manufacturing, and I would like to step into buy and hold real estate investing.