Now with the city requiring property inspections for all non-owner occupied properties, coupled with poor schools, high taxes and nation leading crime rate, I would go to the Baltimore county to the north and east. 

Im a portuguese national residing in Canada.

@Dean BoganWe've helped many investors just like yourself build a successful rental portfolio across numerous cash flow markets.

@David Huynh I work with top-notch CPA's all over the nation.

Aside from that, tapping the equity in your primary residence is a fairly common strategy and you can find numerous posts outlining the many benefits and potential risks. 

My #1 recommendation would be National Tenant Network - ntnonline.com. 

Mine ended up being local, but I did also call national brands.

We are in the process of getting a vacation rental 2.5 hours from us in Groveland, CA, near Yosemite National Park in a gated community with a lake and a golf course. 

Most important part to this post, this is very reputable law firm in Newark who primarily deals with real estate and this specific attorney has be involved in real estate for 20 years and he is on numerous  housing boards. 

I prefer month to month for numerous reasons.