Ultimately, the decision to use an agent is up to you but the good ones are worth their weight in gold and can truly be a consultant for you.

Maintenance and upkeep on properties can be frustrating but are necessary to keep the property steady.

Start with getting rid of high interest, “dead weight” debt ( cars, credit cards, personal loans, student loans, etc.).

Similar to a 'high gross weight' vehicle deduction.

You all are likely far more accustomed to running accurate numbers on appts so I am giving your opinions heavy weight in my decision but also trying to vet the specifics of this property.  

Still, with 20% down, you're looking at $5500/mo in total payment (not including any other upkeep expensese), and median LTR rents around there are probably $5500-$6000, so that's close but still very tight.And of course, putting down more money will increase your chances of cash-flowing.

Assign weights to each criterion based on its importance to you, such as job growth being more critical than seasonal issues.

Upkeep and maintenance, landscaping, garden and fencing in the backyard.

Looking at this picture I'm wondering if you could hang a small weight to add some down force to the chain, at the off chance this is some crazy physics anomaly that's causing the chain to perfectly float up and get caught, the weight would help promote it back down....

Vinyl, on the other hand, is cheaper upfront but might need more upkeep over time.