Tampa’s my personal favorite (yeah, I’m biased), with strong growth, great tenant demand, and a balance of cash flow and appreciation.

I'm based out of Raleigh and personally own rental properties in Fayetteville, Benson and Clayton and could offer some friendly advice and help out with your journey. 

The agent will not be paying you/seller/buyer because the agent does not bring money to the seller/buyer in any fashion in a transaction (typical transactions), unless this agent is a partner to that person buying the property, or they are a principal to the property.Let me know if that makes sense. 

I'm a positive person like most of you probably are, and trusting, and the the way Peter Harris has his program set up to "sell you" is a thing of the past and something I would call predatory.

Go to google and put the name of person / entity you are interested in the search engine, and then add the words "and scam".  

We also have installed SimpliSafe (and signs about ongoing monitoring outside of the property).As someone else mentioned, it is best to have a plan not to go long stretches without checking in person.

They specialized in concrete tilt up, but did a lot of time and materials work for a self made real estate tycoon who owned a lot of Federal Way.Along the way I got my CPA license and practiced in several differing sectors including doing some work with low income housing projects.As far as my start in RE, it was with buying my first personal SFR and later moving to a new residence. 

I do have a silent investor, but when it comes to securing funding, it often feels like I’m navigating it alone.

Quote from @Leonard La Rocca III: So is it common to find a conventional loan without meeting the lender in-person?

Personally, I believe it's preferable to have stricter requirements and wait for a qualified tenant.