All my tenants in various cities that have had renewals offered have accepted, except for two in coastal SC cities as they're moving states.

They generally will offer greater appreciation, as well. 

National banks typically do not offer products that suite your needs here. 2.

-- We focus on verifying 2-year work history and verifying rent payments with last 2 landlords (unless in same property for 5+ years).3) MoveIn Specials: be careful with offering "free rent" as will just attract tenants with no cash.-- Try free TV or something else worth 25-50% of one month of rent.-- Or, what we do is offer the free rent AFTER & ONLY if they pay their first 3 months of rent on time to earn it.4) Lower the rent 5% every 2-4 weeks until activity picks up.5) Understand this is the worst time of year to find tenants.-- Starts picking back up end of February when this tenant pool starts getting their income tax refunds and aren't broke anymore.6) Section 8: where is the property being advertised?

At $15K a year, that's just bare minimum without any of the other modules that Yardi offers.

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.

The primary requirement is that the expected rent would cover the mortgage on the home - and that expected rent is typically determined by a combination of the appraiser and some service like airdna (a site which determines fair market rent).

I know when you make an offer you typically specify how you plan on funding the deal.

By teaching them how to make money instead of offering a crutch.  

I completely agree that luxury rentals need to offer more than just aesthetic appeal; they need to resonate with tenant expectations and justify the premium rents.