Do you hate your job or hate your employer?

Plus, you get amazing appreciation potential due to how much population growth, job growth, and companies moving and developing here.

Our job is to provide you assistance. 

I hold a w-2 job currently and considering transitioning to holding some properties.

If you have a 2 year work history, and go get a W2 job tomorrow, we could use your base pay right away (as long as it is "guaranteed hours" or considered "full time". 

Looks like a hack job.

Could be the tenant is not using the service, doing something to attract roaches or the exterminator isn't doing their job.

Seeing that you are moving for job reasons, I would probably suggest option 4 until you learn if Seattle is going to be a permanent answer.

STRs work best in tourist-heavy areas with high demand, while LTRs perform well in markets with stable economies and diverse job opportunities.

With a budget of $300K-$400K, you could potentially find single-family homes or small multi-units in those areas.I'd recommend researching rental demand near universities like Duke or NC State or even checking out neighborhoods with strong job growth near tech hubs.