Knoxville isn't a luxury market. widen the gap and do new construction. find infill plots of land in better locations and have more control. work closely with a builder who Is working with investors. we have flippers who did hundreds of flips then they graduate to new builds and say it's much easier. if you have the balance sheet you'll be fine. budget 20%. new construction commands a 20% premium and is much easier to duplicate Over and over and much less risk. 

Hey David, the best metrics depend on your investment goals, risk tolerance, and market conditions.

That is a mouthful, but again, a patient investor with the right risk profile, can be successful in Huntsville.  

that money is tax-free. 

In most cases, this option requires the seller owns the property free and clear of any liens or mortgages

In addition to what was said above, for the software that has a free trial option, sign up for it and use the software for a day (or at least a few hours) as if you are using it for real, then call their customer support too and get a feel for that. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions. 

This method is simple, free, and fast.You could also provide deposit slips, so tenants can deliver their payment directly to the bank.

If the answer is yes, then it's a no brainer to make minimum payments on your 2.8% interest rate mortgage, and use the funds that you would have paid extra to pay it down faster, to either invest in more real estate, the market, or anywhere else where you can get a ROI > 2.8%.If the answer is no, then feel free to aggressively pay it down as fast as possible, to become debt-free faster, and just have a large amount of money in savings or to splurge with.The bottom line is that your 2.8% mortgage is GOOD debt.

@Karl Kauper, There are several ways to mitigage (but not remove entirely) the angst and risk of those tight timelines.1.