I have zero connections in NC, but if by chance something emerges, I'll let you know!

Use less of that and either get the seller to buy down your interest rate or you can do it and have a comfortable mortgage payment and still plenty left for your emergency fund.

If you buy an EV, you have a large battery sitting in your garage that can be used to power your home in an emergency.

Consider emerging Sunbelt markets like Phoenix, Tampa, or parts of North Carolina (like Raleigh or Charlotte) that continue to see high migration and job growth, driving both appreciation and rental demand.

- We have a maintenance emergency hotline that transcribes voceimails and texts to whomever is on call.

Build an emergency fund to cover unexpected costs, and ensure you can manage the mortgage without STR income if needed.

I often give guidelines to my tenants about what defines and emergency, what is not an emergency, and the the timeline to expect emergency vs non-emergency things to be handled. 

Property owners can file for an emergency court hearing, significantly reducing the time required to remove squatters.

Under $150, easy to install and use, tenant can set their own code but landlord can retain the master and always have access, tenant can't lock themselves out, standard key for emergency backup, batteries last a couple years, etc.

Self-managing either an Airbnb or long-term rental from out-of-state would be tough, as you never know when an emergency will come up.