Bottom line - real estate done well will do better than stocks over the long run with similar to slightly less risk. 

Sounds like a good stock to short. 

I’ve asked beforeabout buying in a different state and have gotten mixed responses.

A bridge loan could work which would let you buy before you sell without contingencies. 

Nationally, investor purchases hovered around 25% of single-family home sales post-2020, and Little Rock has tracked close to that trend—sometimes higher, especially in neighborhoods with lower median home prices.That’s a strong signal that the rental market is driving a lot of activity locally—especially in neighborhoods with affordable housing stock and steady demand.

I'd spend probably another $1.5K to fully stock the house as a mid-term rental. 

I’d probably try to buy something a little farther out or on the pg side, but honestly renting and investing dp in stock market isn’t bad either.

Stocks grow a lot slower (assuming you don't leverage stocks but this gets a lot riskier then a fixed non-callable mortgage). 

That being said, price dips are usually a good opportunity to buy.

And all the media noise may leave you wondering: does it really make sense to buy a home right now?