The short version is that you want a strong and diverse job market, low unemployment rates, a growing population, low vacancy rates and new development, affordability/cost of living, real estate laws and court system, good schools, and low crime.Check out the videos from Dave Meyers with BiggerPockets.

Hard Money  = There is nothing wrong with taking a hard money loan at a higher interest rate as long as you have an exit plan and can really drive to a time table to not turn that hard money loan into a long term loanDSCR - Pre-Payment Term: I see a lot of lenders sling out the 5 year pre-payment term to flash the lowest rate which could be an investor in a pickle if they need to do something different with the lending portion of the property in the future.

No monthly fees, just a flat rate per year, per transaction.

If history holds true then generally interest rates go down with Republicans in office and last time housing prices boomed. 

Cap rates:  Cap rates have been expanding, but sellers think they will tighten. 

We're going to see insurance rates climb for quite a while.

Their online reviews on google seem great and everything is 5 stars but I promise you the team is terrible.

We've since increased their rent to market rate, and now we're experiencing late payments.Family Member as Tenant:Issue: Our family member is behind on rent for more than 5 months, with a rate below market due to their relationship with us.Behavior: They have made excuses about financial struggles, yet have been seen treating their new girlfriend to fine dinners and outings.Impact: Both tenants consistently pay late and have shown complete disrespect to us, the property owners, despite efforts to ensure their happiness and success.We'd hate to impact our relationship with them, but right now, they're hurting us and our pockets. 

What are the rental rates around you??

Quote from @Cooper Meurer: Lately, I have been mulling the idea of selling my primary residence and renting for 1-2 years before we leave the Midland area and move to the Texas Hill Country (surrounding Austin area)Reasoning for this:- I currently have around 120k in equity in my residence and I have a 4.75% interest rate.