Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

My recommendation would be to increase your deductible to a level just below painful, have your properties 4-point clean, consider your FICO because providers will, and shop coverage. 

That said, I highly recommend speaking with a local professional in the DFW area to get insights tailored to your specific goals.

Ian - do you have any recommendations for a good securities law attorney? 

It's mostly Class A properties, a few Class B.You may find the below copy & paste info useful in addressing your question:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend 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?

Having a long-term rental while living abroad is do-able.Flipping houses while abroad, in my opinion, more difficult, especially if its your first go around with real estate.I would recommend taking a flight and staying in the area for a week and inspect the neighborhoods and make connections.You can reach out to @Elenis Camargo who has a PM company in Jacksonville.Best of luck though.

I personally recommend checking Columbus OH - lots of job growth, population growth, and major companies moving and developing here.

Would this still be recommended if I planned on investing in different markets? 

What areas do you recommend for airbnb in particular?

Hi @Brian WongI can provide some ADU contractor recommendations in Los Angeles if you want to DM me.