I second what @Jay Redding said.  

This is where the first red flag happens.

I asked the trades for recommendations, asked neighbors, stopped at 10s of job sites, met them at the big box parking lot, snapped pics of the phone #s at red lights, etc. 

Red states tend to be better at this than blue states.

Knowing the red flags of scams will decrease your chance of being a victim of a scam and possibly losing out on a lot of money.

Charlotte suburbs have been red-hot pretty much since the 90s (with the brief exception of the nation-wide downturn).In my opinion, the "investor-havens" like Belmont, Kannapolis, parts of Union County, Rock Hill are a little over-rated.

We are trying to diversify and have been looking in to syndications and Red D funds.

People that are adamant about moving in as soon as possible or they want to pay in months of rent in advance are red flags too.Could you list all of your tenant screening criteria?

I asked about getting a loan from my bank (because that wouldnt be a problem for me) but they stated that would be a red flag for them considering I would have to pay them and the bank back.

These people out here looking to red line profits, and ramp up everything in every possible way are greedy!