Consistent with the advice of @Jo Bradley , if I could get through the first couple years financially, keeping current home seems a lot easier than long distance investing...and at least I know what is wrong with my current home (I.e it will eventually need new roof etc). 

He is out of Chicago, but I believe he can cover all across the country.

In an effort to bring ANY $ in to help cover the mortgage ($4600 including taxes and insurance), I put together an AirBnB site for the property and set it live, with zero expectation.

I wanted to have a spot to rent out and cover the monthly mortgage payments while securing a small spot to have for myself in the next 30 years for when I no longer reside in Charlotte but want to visit friends, or downsize.

We've seen our area MLS which covers about 20 counties come down to an average sold to list price ratio of 95.1% and Knox county specifically has come to 96.4 % which is lower by about 2% from this time last year and down from our peak this year of 98.5%. but it's about in line from winter 2022 into spring 2023 which was a time when rates were rapidly rising.

Just ensure that the projected rental income comfortably covers the new payments, including the HELOC.

We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

Here’s a quick checklist to cover your bases:Property Condition: Get a thorough inspection to assess major items like the roof, foundation, and HVAC—this helps you plan for any big repairs.Financials: Account for all costs, including taxes, insurance, maintenance, and property management fees if applicable.

It appears the only thing I'm not covered for now is resolutions.

But larger repair items such as appliances and mechanical, plumbing, electrical, roof windows doors etc should still fall under the landlord's responsibility.