If you're looking for a more landlord-friendly market, I personally recommend Columbus OH.

I would recommend against being the GC unless you are confident of doing more than one effort.  

. - We always recommend buying your first rental locally if possible and DIY managing to learn as much as possible before investing OOS.2) Lots of crooks and incompetents in the PMC world:( They both cost you money.- As already stated, you'll have a small portfolio.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

The other challenge is selling it, there is a smaller buyer pool for hospitality in a small market but that was known going in Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

I would 100% recommend that in whatever market you choose to invest in , that you form a relationship with a good property manager, as that can make-or-break how well your LTR goes. 

When investing in high cash-flow markets, I always recommend working with an investor friendly agent so you're able to gain the right insight on the different areas and the risks involved.

@Dawn MurrayI recommend you seek your own attorney in this as well - typically in these situations there is very little to go around but whoever gets the first lawsuit and judgment wins.

Any advice or tools you’d recommend would be really helpful!

Personally, I advocate for a long-term investment strategy and would recommend investing the funds, provided you are comfortable with the expected return on investment over time.