The choice depends on their priorities simplicity now or long-term tax advantages.

Quote from @Nick Belsky: I usually refer clients to SpringEQ.HELOCs aren't cheap, even less so for investments.https://mortgage.springeq.com/Cheers! 

It can be a very good market, but the why behind your choice may help us give you better advice on how to move forward.Before realtors and property managers, you really need to meet other investors so you are making a good move by trying to do that here, but it would be better if you could do it in person.

Hi Geetha,The NCREIA meetups in Raleigh and Charlotte are a fantastic choice—they attract real estate operators at every level, so you're definitely in the right place to build connections!

“I can’t trust them,” the man said, referring to his landlord.

This is a touchy subject.If you observed specific concerning behaviors during interactions, such as rudeness, aggression, or disrespect for property, these could potentially be valid reasons for rejection if documented properly.You should add one very important things to do on your checklist, past landlord references and it must be legit and find out why they aren't there any longer.

I can google and look up lenders etc. but I also wanted to ask if anyone knew someone who they could refer? 

The contract says no one else besides them can be there for over a week so it is my choice,  what options should I consider for this, a rent increase per child, security deposit increased. 

All of these are factors in narrowing down your choice for starting.

I like RentSpree because the prospective tenant can upload all of their docs into the system and the system auto-emails all references to confirm.