My biggest aim is to ensure that my long-term success aligns with whoever I invest with's long-term success instead of making their money on the upfront sale and leaving me on my own. 

I also allowed the fear of others to take me away from my long term goals.

If these houses have stable long-term tenants, I share your concern.

The reason you would hire a licensed professional is to assist with you not gettting SCAMMED and help you with negotiating prices and terms...based upon State Law. 

A good property manager can guide you in selecting properties that will attract a tenant segment with a high concentration of reliable people.Access to cost-effective resources for renovation and repairs.Lease terms enforcement.

Everybody is different, some people like flipping, some like short term rentals, some like long term rentals. 

There is a single family home that was divided and one half has been rented and an ad on small "house" that has also been rented mostly long term.

Private Money or Hard Money LoanHow it works: Short-term loans from private or hard money lenders to purchase the lot and finance the construction.Benefits: Easier approval and faster processing, focusing on the property value rather than your income.Downside: Higher interest rates and shorter loan terms (typically 6-18 months).

Here were the results:Sales Growth: As you can see, Raleigh and Durham are VERY different in terms of Existing Home Sale Counts YoY.

Divide the long-term vision into manageable steps.