It turned out to be the worst trashing of a place we have had in 7 years of running STRs.

Feel free to reach out to see how I can be of assistance.

All good places to start your search.   

But surrounding areas like Clarksville, Columbia, and parts of Murfreesboro are worth checking out.

Quote from @Justine Gatton: I am just starting out in my investment journey.

Doesn't make sense if you using the cash out to pay the same loan!

I will be starting out probably with house hacking and using the VA Loan.  

That way you can hopefully do renovations as tenants move out one by one and start to build your network of contractors.

If you've got to "ask how" to or "should you" manage an out of state rental on your own, you are not ready to manage an out of state rental on your own. 

It is good to hear that you're wanting to focus on investing and spending time with your young children, as well as potentially get away from any stressors that come from being an attorney, as a fellow attorney I can relate to that.To get started with the things, it could be wise protecting that settlement money by investing it safely into brokerage accounts, savings accounts, CDs, bonds, and even potentially cryptocurrency.