I would try not to make too many waves so that they leave the house with no damage and clean thinking they may have a shot of getting their deposit back.

Make notes on how clean the tenants are. 

Investors into and LLC seems easier to me than a bunch of small private loans documented. 

It's always easier if you have your own 25%+ deposit for that first deal, rather than relying on Refinancing later out of HML!...

I'd suggest offering a discount  if paid by the first, it gives  them an incentive to get you the money early, and it makes being a landlord a lot easier when rent is solid and steady!   

It only gets easier from here!

I just went through this and they did paint, cleaning and some other repairs in 2 weeks.

I did something similar when I started I picked 3 cities after doing tons of research visited all 3 and made a decision.When I visited I saw they were building a new monorail in CLT and decided to invest there.Another thing to consider to make your life easier is compare flights from your home base.

I had a guy power washing the front of my house and sidewalk while there was someone in the house cleaning.

I had a guy power washing the front of my house and sidewalk while there was someone in the house cleaning.