If you have experience in this area, let me know your thoughts on Tampa in the long term. 

Over the long term I am comfortable at 4%.  9.4% not bad return but …Residential RE is not passive even with the use of a PM.  

No permit required for long term rentals in un incorporated Cobb.

I decided to discontinue zBuyer as at least in the current market conditions in my area 95% were bored seniors looking to get their home value( tried some long term nurture's however when it came time to sell the kids stepped in with a "family" agent) and the other 5% were move up seller/buyers that simply could not afford to move up.

Turnkey buy and hold with long term renters is the best way to get your foot in the door with RE investing.

My options are:Sell: Maximize down payment in NC, reduce debt.HELOC+Rent: Keep NJ property as an investment, rent for potential $3,300/month.I'm interested in long-term wealth building.

The house I'm buying will be used as a long term rental.

@Adam Bartomeo runs a professional property management business in the area and is also a long-time member of BiggerPockets.

G'Day Carlos,Personally, I think it's a recipe for disaster rehabbing from out of state.IMO you would need deep roots in the specific market you are looking at investing.Or years long experience of knowing the who, what and when in that specific market.I only know of a handful of folks that can do it successfully and even they have been at it for many years and probably still loose money on rehabs to this day, no matter how integrated they are with everything and everyone.A good resources for pre-purchase, during rehab and after rehab's is Inspectify.Always get eyes on site before buying a property or processing a progress draw for the rehab.Much success

If you dont desire to do the appropriate searches or stick around long enough to receive expert advice you may need to pay a mentor.