I know of a few good choices if you are looking that direction.

Hi Robin,I do a fair bit of business as a lender in South Carolina; a lot of short-term rental investors tend to focus on the Charleston & Myrtle Beach areas, but if you are looking for properties that are still reasonably priced and don't mind some renovations, Columbia can be a great choice 

Seller finance deals work when one of the following situations is present1- property can’t be financed with institutional financing usually because property is vacant (commercial property) or in bad condition2- seller will only accept an above market price for the property and by offering seller financing opens the universe of potential buyers to include people who wouldn’t qualify for financing3- seller is able to obtain a “piece of the action” from a buyer rehabbing the property and hence ultimately obtain a higher price.4- the seller has an existing low interest rate mortgage and wants to “wrap” the existing mortgage into a seller financed higher rate mortgage and pocket the differential 5- property is an investment property, seller has a low basis in the property because of depreciation, and wants to spread out the taxes due.Are you thinking of trying to purchase with 100% seller financing, or are you able to /willing to offer a down payment of say 10-20% .  

My ultimate goal is to build up a cash reserve for each property in the amount of around $15,000 which would be enough for most expenses I would incur.

Ultimately I don't think there is a way...most small rentals operate in a manner where they pass through to your personal return.

@Ramiro De Leon Welcome to BP and great choice on looking in Denver!

People have a tendency to want to do what they know and what they like which is fine for your primary residence, but not always the best choice for an investment.

I'm excited to share a small win in my journey into out-of-state real estate investing!
After overcoming a few months of analysis paralysis, I finally took the plunge. For my first investment property, I prioritized ...

Is Coamo a random choice or is it influenced by a specific $ opportunity? 

Hi Eli, A few different ways: 1) You can ask your realtor to put you on a drip campaign for any assumable loans in the areas you desire. 2) If you are looking at something off-market you can ask your realtor to work with their title company of choice to pull lists of all government loans, in whatever areas you are looking for.