And don’t sleep on local banks or credit unions—they sometimes offer flexible portfolio loans that could work for a deal like this.Since your wife qualifies as a first-time homebuyer, check out any state-specific programs or HUD options for down payment assistance.

The investment in the plane ticket and hotel can pay off huge when you are able to find and focus in on a specific area. 

You might find someone in your network who’s ready to sell a property, or someone who has advice specific to your market.Real estate investing is a journey of learning and growth.

With the massive increase in STR properties in the US, I am hopeful that lenders and appraisers will evolve to apply income/exp metrics to STR deals specifically, on top of generic property comps.

I have all kinds of specific searches set up for my investor clients to help find the best deals. 

DSCR loans are a great option for investors looking to scale their portfolio as they are property specific and allow you to close in an LLC

You have to factor in demand and vacancy rates to determine if it will be more profitable, and that’s specific for each market.

You can find something in Durham and parts of Raleigh, specifically zips 27610, 27603, and parts of 27604 that would meet your criteria, however generally speaking most of the inventory that would fit what you are looking for in Raleigh or Durham would likely be in neighborhoods that I personally wouldn't want to invest in, C- to D type neighborhoods.

On a positive note we did build a new house to the specifications of a specific tenant. 

I'd talk to brokers in your specific asset class and market.Do you already own similar assets?