Have you considered tapping into your existing rental equity for the down payment?

Also consider all lenders will require to review your insurance when underwriting a loan and it's likely a violation of your existing loan documents to let the properties go uninsured even if they didn't require insurance escrows. 

Quote from @Jay Hinrichs: Quote from @Chris Mason: Indoor shopping malls as they existed in the 1990s are dying, but retail is not.

This.Also, if you were the tier 1 worker bee at a relocation company who wants to get a family housed, happy and as quickly as possible, would you accept the word of a guy who sells a course to new-to-MTR investors that "here is Eli; please send him all of your business.

The front end can sometimes be tedious to get approved by the local housing authority, but rent payments are always timely.

What do you do when in house goes on vacation? 

STRs, including 2 of mine existed before AirBnB.  

Good luck  Closing of the house was in late September.

I work for a local house flipper in the Greensboro area (Winston Salem).

As it stands now, the sweet spot in that area in the market for rent seems to be a little larger 2/2 house with large living area for guests.