I am planning to get into the TN real estate market as my first investment and am looking for some information.In particular: Areas to steer clear of, property management fees, typical cosmetic rehab costs, etc.My strategy is to put large down payments on 2 properties (relative to housing prices) to help pay for my living in NY while still gaining appreciation in a growing real estate market.

Since it’s a new build, I was able to negotiate some great perks, like a 5.875% interest rate, no closing costs, a fridge, blinds, and even a backyard firepit.Pros:Good school districtLow interest rateMinimal CapEx and repairs (because it’s a new build)Low insuranceHigh-quality tenants (due to the school district and being a new build)Cons:Lots of new builds in the area, which could drive down prices and increase vacanciesThe Numbers:Price: $290KInterest Rate: 5.875%Down Payment: 25%Monthly Mortgage + Insurance + Taxes + HOA: $1,480 (I got really low insurance since it’s a new build and Alabama’s property taxes are low)Property Management: 10%Rent: $1,800 (this is under market because I wanted to rent it quickly—most units in the area were sitting vacant for 100+ days.

This means you essentially have to save buyers 3x(5k-10k) = $15k to $30k through negotiating, finding the best deals, adding value with your property management or contractor contacts, etc.Lawyers use flat fee, hourly, and contingency pay structures primarily. 

Is in there, but a great thing you can do now is get your "core 4" figured out - agent/lender/manager/contractor - obviously you can adjust this and do one of the pieces yourself (self-manage for example) or don't need a contractor if you do only turnkey etc but getting this nailed down early is key

The way I and others have done it is to load into Google Drive, dropbox, etc and post a link.I don't currently use those facilities.

I've been managing for 15 years and have helped a couple owners change/expand their portfolio. 

Did he give you property managers, lenders and areas to invest?

However, I’ve been hesitant due to challenges like remote management, high interest rates, and low cash flow.

there is an argument to take the equity and buy a large managed property. 

You can self manage from anywhere.