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

We will quickly correct the excess spending, and fill the vacant units with quality residents.

It's pretty tough to find a quality carpenter as well.

My advice would be to partner with someone who has additional funds so you can buy something that is of quality. $8k won't get you anything in a class B or A market with 20% down or even 10% down. keep going though!

So that area is based mainly on ease of longer term (ish) rental income, with about 2-3 years stability depending on how often people PCS and the (somewhat) quality of tenants (bc you never know, even with military).

But if you risk adjust the returns it is a poor investment.  

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Unfortunately they aren't very good for finding quality Realtors.

You may not get the same tourist volume as Pigeon Forge, but you’ll attract a more consistent, quality guest base.If you're leaning toward an MTR, healthcare contracts and university housing demand will give you a steady stream of tenants.

Are their listings detailed with good-quality photos?