Investors should keep an eye on its growing infrastructure and amenities.Huntersville: A family-friendly suburb with excellent schools and amenities, Huntersville is a solid choice for long-term appreciation.Davidson: A charming college town, Davidson offers steady appreciation and attracts higher-income tenants.Belmont: This small town near Charlotte offers more appreciation potential than cash flow, driven by its desirability and quaint atmosphere.Neighborhoods Offering Both Cash Flow & AppreciationConcord: A tricky yet rewarding market, Concord can provide both cash flow and appreciation.

FHA and Conventional loans will allow schooling to count as work history.

Im old school...my cpa is in the building next door and I like doing business face to face.

I am starting real estate school soon to get my license but here in Florida I was told I can buy as an investor without. 

However, prices on $1M homes haven't really appreciated all that much and we are looking to move to something much smaller near where our kids go to school. 

I liked the tenant, school is starting back etc, I told them they could pay first month and security deposit and I would let them have the rest of August for free.

If you are using RE investing to try to avoid going to school, your intentions are not in the correct place.

As it relates to lease end dates I've seen two things work here. 1) You can stagger end dates as mentioned above or 2) you can optimize for summer - this works better for us in areas where you see students or families with school age children moving to align with the summmer months.Separately, this is a great argument against month-to-month leases.  

I travel for REI, businesses, my own business, and other interests related to work on average 2 days a month.I drop off my kids to school and then later pick them up with my wife after going to the gym every weekday during the school year together.

Typically, higher income areas have lower crime, more amenities, better schools.