My goals are to buy properties in Maryland so that I can 1. buy hold and rent the properties and 2. rehab the properties and sell them for a profit; not necessarily in that order.

Got a HELOC dropped a manufactured home on some land sold for 50,000 profit net and doing it again.

No contractor will work for free and agree to simply share profits.

I would make double the profit on these but no equity and probably much less resale value and yearly massive renovation.

I don't need to make a profit, but I need to keep my payments as low as humanly possible, including property management fees.

However, my area is nearby to that of @Christine Swaidan's, so the trend may be different in your area.The general idea is that because CA is so tenant-friendly, and because our property costs are so high, one bad tenant can wipe out months - or even years - of profitability.

How do the neighbors yard lookSale priceAnd to lesser degree how much do you think you will profit?

I have recently decided to pursue my interest in real estate in the hopes of generating enough passive income to support myself and future family (soon-to-be DW) without feeling the need for a 9-5.

My fear is that, even if peaked, there is still some time to earn some profit in Nashville and then get out before the market dries up and Tampa is just much more of a question mark.  

While there are still some properties that ca be profitable, other areas might be more desirable in this area.