There are a lot of affordable properties in Knoxville, but the growth isn't terribly vibrant and the deman isn't what you'd expect for a city of that size and that close to the Smokies - you're mostly looking at college rentals for the meat of the move season, and the SF market, while it exists, doesn't really compare to Chattanooga. 

Taking action and learning from those actions are key to moving ahead.

You may want to move on it sooner rather than later.

Then moved into building and selling and keeping spec houses as rentals in AZ. 

Investing out of state in the KCMO area sounds like a smart move; it’s such an interesting market with plenty of potential.

@Chris Mahoo Even without qualifying for Real Estate Professional Status (REPS), long-term rentals offer key benefits like depreciation deductions over 27.5 years, deductible expenses (e.g., mortgage interest, repairs), and up to $25,000 in passive loss deductions if your MAGI is under $150K.

Spend a little more money than you might have been planning to, buy in a better area (i.e. not a “turn key” 100k house off the mls), and self manage.

That would be the best move for you to find good contractors and reliable ones for your projects.

There’s no specific law mandating general liability insurance, but it’s a smart move to have it.

. - will it influence property taxes once we move to conventional loan in 3 yrs?