It's a 3 bedroom house and we plan to use technology such as a smart lock, WIFI exterior cameras, and a smart thermostat.

If you are competing with cash buyers and a great deal comes your way, it may be worth it to borrower at these higher rates.

. --- Once I'm ready to make the move, I can speak with a lawyer and a RE Tax Accountant to find out what's the lowest allowable to avoid that trigger.

@Michael ClardyThere are two experts to talk to, a CPA that knows real estate and a Qualified Intermediary (QI).

If I put all of my eggs in one basket (Florida in this case), paid off property and a hurricane blows everything away, FEMA is nowhere to be found and the insurance companies take years to pay what little claims they actually do pay, I suffer through it in a blown out house.

Knowing your current state comps is a great place to start and a real estate agent can help pull those figures quickly. 

@Douglas Skipworth and Dean Harris of Crestcore have a great podcast and a video outlining all the zip codes in TN as well.

Huntsville, in particular, has strong job growth, steady appreciation, and a high demand for quality rental homes.

I continue to look in the Brevard area of Florida - As far as north as Titusville/Cocoa and as far south as Sebastien. 

I'm both an investor who has done fix and flips and a mortgage lender.