In terms of deal flow I would reach out to a couple of wholesalers, agents and join some local investor groups either on Facebook or online local community to start.

Pacing yourself is key, especially as you get hands-on experience managing maintenance and tenant dynamics.Since you have a strong W-2 income, you're in a great position to leverage creative financing options as you grow.

That seems but CA charges income tax on home sales.  

From what I can tell, Charleston is considered a Growth market, Columbia an Income Market, and Greenville appears to be a hybrid (this is what I'm looking for). 

Can't find much online....  

Purchase price: $110,000 Cash invested: $60,000 Sale price: $225,000 This property has 2 units and 2 storage units creating 4 income streams.

I have a template that I use that includes projected income and projected expenses and I run the calculation myself, but if you like ones that do it all for you in addition to what has been mentioned above AirDNA has one as well.

Adding extra income streams, like charging for utilities or offering laundry services, can also help improve cash flow.

Quote from @Melanie Baldridge: In 2025 the bonus depreciation rate is 40%.This means that if you bought a property for $1M in 2025, did a cost seg study and found $300K in eligible assets that you could depreciate, you could take 40% of that $300K as bonus depreciation to offset your income in the first year.40% of $300K = $120K.You then apply that $120K to the owner’s personal tax rate to find the final amount that they can defer in year 1.If your tax rate is 37%, you can defer $66.6K.This is a big deal even at the 40% bonus depreciation rate this year.It’s a massive benefit 

@David LewisRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?