@Ezra Avery you might want to read below to understand Classes of Property/Tenants.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?

Goes back to that original thesis in a thread long time ago-- quality over quantity.

I would assume a greater emphasis on quality of materials and workmanship (and consequently higher rehab cost) for a rental where the investor will have to deal with the longer term implications of any corners that were cut.

Our area, Destin FL. is somewhat new for AvantStay and they have had some growing pains with their resources in this area, BUT it has not impacted our experience or their quality of service.

@Zach Howard some copy & paste advice below:)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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?

I don't know how difficult of a task this would be, but suspect it would make for better quality forum content. 

.• Use some equity from the sale to make this transition smoother.I’m torn between maintaining our current home as an asset and buying  a new smaller house to use as a rental after we move back in versus simplifying and focusing on a single upgraded property Considering factors like market trends, potential equity growth, and quality of life, which path do you think would be most beneficial?

Anticipate an emphasis on quality over quantity in terms of reconstruction materials and housing footprint.

You are being very conservative to avoid making mistakes, and that is a rare, admirable quality in real estate that is often undervalued. 

Quite prudent to stay away from such lack of quality in regards to REI agents.