(An example of a B+ home in a tertiary market that was purchased for $82,000 or so last year and rents for around $1,200 per month - not for sale, illustrative purposes only).You see these markets don't have enough inventory for the big boys to have critical mass, they are not scalable.

Also, a good CPA that understands real estate and business structure is critical in these areas.Good luck!

My father has been a real estate sales person for about 40 years and he has taught me a little bit.Whether you become a wholesaler working the numbers is critical.  

And most critically, we've had to explain the sizable amounts of money we've spent overseas and on travel expenses - as our first daughter is from Colombia, and our other two are from a country bordering Turkey and Iran.So yes: we've traveled extensively to countries with colorful histories, and have large transactions of cash in and out with some degree of frequency - we're the perfect borrowers :-)

Truck mounted professional carpet cleaning is powerful enough to extract all the water, which is critical when cleaning carpet.I would not use bleach, but I would try Oxiclean on it.

Also, please know that I appreciate any and all help/advice/criticism.

Prior to that I had co-managed 95 properties and have been in the real estate industry full time since 1985.Having a PM company will be critical to your investment success.  

@Ahmad Hijazi  for me I am at the twilight of my ownership in rentals only have 5 left out of 350 + houses.for cap ex for someone who does not have significant reserves I think this is critical...

Your approach of finding an experienced agent and lender is critical, because the agent will have to build in that expectation up front. 

What is critical to do before a lot of this though is develop a game plan or investment strategy that fits your goals and overall intentions when working the field of real estate in general.