-Loganville and Douglasville: Growing communities with job growth.That's my two cents on areas...

Durham tends to offer slightly better cash flow opportunities compared to Raleigh, especially if you’re targeting neighborhoods that are up-and-coming but still affordable.

Hey Steven - An LLC is a solid choice for structuring your partnership since it offers liability protection and keeps things clean when splitting ownership and profits.

I think you should also confirm to them what lease renewal terms you are offering them so they can make an informed decision.If you make the repairs, you'll create some goodwill with the tenant and they will be more likely to renew.

They’re buying themselves a job.

I currently work with investors looking to build their portfolio with single-family, long-term rentals while managing for them on the back end, making is hands-free for the investor to still work their W-2 job and live their everyday lives and spend it with family, hobbies, etc. 

Zoho has an in-built dialer and can integrate with SMS services, offering a good balance of functionality and ease of use.Each of these CRMs has its own set of strengths and potential limitations, so I'd recommend taking advantage of any free trials or demos they offer.

We want to grow our real estate business to be able to quit our jobs.

They're investing tons of money into those areas, and attracting a lot of good renters who work in the medical profession and will pay good rents to live close to their jobs. 

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.