PMC staff are good at maintenance and maybe repairs, but they are NOT licensed contractors with years of real-world experience.

It’s also an excellent opportunity to gain property management experience.

On the other hand, I’m hesitant to simply pay down more of a property, as we don’t need the immediate cash flow.Fortunately, both my wife’s job and mine are recession-proof, which allows us to be a bit more aggressive with our investments.I’d really appreciate advice from investors who have experience with frequent moves or military service.

This conversion will begin at the end of the month.I am just sharing the above to give context to my level of experience with this type of investment.I look forward to hearing from you all.

Out of curiosity would anyone be willing to share any experience with non-paying renters who've vacated the property prematurely?

Most lenders will vary how aggressive they will get based on the experience of the operator (you), but I don't know any that will lender to someone who's never done a spec build like you're contemplating.

Let us know if you end up purchasing any through action and how that experience goes

FICO, experience, and LTV are also factors but this is the basis of the loan.

Experience, and 2.) a team in place. 

I'm interested in investing in rental properties around Columbia as well, I'd love to connect with fellow investors and/or agents with experience working with investors.