I would very much appreciate any recommendations.

For cash flow, I'd recommend checking out the Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point) or Fayetteville in NC and Sumter and Florence in SC. 

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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?

My realtor recommended SDIRA Wealth, a company known for its high-volume new builds every year.

I recommend you speak with him. 

Properties in Henderson, certain parts of North Las Vegas, and adjacent to Summerlin may provide faster rent growth.However, we recommend not using this data for your property search criteria.

Just be transparent with the sellers that you are licensed and for good grace recommend they use a realtor on their end, although not necessary. 

It's also nice that they have their own recommended insurer, those rates are much lower then what I would pay up in the northeast. 

Hello Mason.I am looking to invest in the Knoxville area in the near future and would be interested in any recommendations you may have.