Specifically, is the rental market stable, and is reliable assistance (like agents, property managers, contractors, etc.) available?

For instance, lenders in SC can offer a downpayment assistance (and a related first responder/veteran loan) program through SC Housing Authority.

And yes, I know people will say "get her in contract if she wants the house and perform repairs" that would be the best scenario except At that point I was completely out of money.

If the water would have came back bad we were prepared to replace the pipe but was told this repair would be around $8K. 

That’s what I’m talking about.. having people on the ground who know their turf and can spot trouble before it smacks you in the face.From what I’ve heard, outfits like Northwest Preferred Property Management or Umbrella Properties in Eugene aren’t just running the numbers.. they’ve seen the weird mid-season repairs and the tenant personalities you’ll never read about in a textbook.

I work as an acquisitions associate with BPG Holdings, a local real estate investment fund in Alexandria, and also work as a realtor for our fund's brokerage team, assisting clients with investment properties in the D.C. metro area.I've recently created a series of reports focused on the city of Alexandria and its sub-market development prospects, which I believe alongside other macro trends will make the city an amazing buy-and-hold investment for real estate investors.

As mentioned elsewhere, breakeven on cash flow is not the same as break even for taxes.Let's make some assumptions:Rental income = $1000Mortgage payment = $400 - but $300 is interest and $100 is principalOther expenses (repairs, advertising, utilities, etc) = $600Depreciation = $250The above scenario creates a break even from a cash flow perspective, however the tax scenario looks like this:Rental income minus the mortgage interest (principal is not deductible) minus the other expenses minus depreciation looks like this:1000-300-600-250 = $150 LossIf your income is over $150,000, then you cannot deduct that loss, but you can roll it over to future years. 

What's my best strategy here to protect myself and to assist with this connection?

You might hit a few bumps in the road...tenants who imagine due dates are more like suggestions, or unexpected repairs that crop up at the worst possible moment...but that’s part of the ride.

I'm happy to connect and assist you on your journey!