This creates a market for both short-term and long-term rental properties.Affordable housing, Compared to cities like New York, Washington D.C., or Boston, Philadelphia offers relatively affordable rent, or section 8 tenants, especially those who are relocating from more expensive areas. 

I would start by comparing quotes from multiple providers.

Understand the fees involved and calculate the total cost for an entire year of management so you can compare the different managers.

The type of home you can get in White House is a different universe compared to what you'll get in Nashville if you're trying to be 5 mins from the urban core.Make a list of what is MOST important to you and that will guide your decision making.

On some older properties where perhaps you have one water meter for 2-3-4 units or one gas meter for 2-3-4 units, or units that share hot water, something like that the owner might pay. 

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processesWe recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

The cost associated with insurance for not having 20% is peanuts compared to what you potentially can do leveraging your down payment. 

Appreciation kind of lags compared to other places further east in northern Alabama.

A tidy, well-organized space can help the appraiser focus on the home's features rather than distractions.Research Comparable Properties: Have a list of comparable properties (comps) that have sold recently in your area.

You can leverage the first deal you bought and your experience so far, which is a lot compared to someone starting.