Include a contingency fund of 10-20% to cover unexpected costs, as price fluctuations are common.Negotiate with Contractors: Build relationships with reliable contractors and negotiate bulk rates for ongoing projects.

It's a small town (I think 30,000 people) that's likely going to be difficult to find reliable PM's, tradespeople, etc. 

I am a remote investor with 2 duplexes so I am not able to visit the properties on a regular basis, which is why it is important to have a proactive PM Company with reliable systems in place. 

Columbus might offer better cash flow, while SoCal could appreciate faster.Consider your property management strategy—if you're not local to the property, having a reliable manager in place is crucial, especially with S8 tenants.Crunch the numbers: Make sure the deal works in your favor with or without S8 tenants, factoring in all expenses, vacancy rates, and maintenance costs.Hope this helps!

Beyond that, you'll want a reliable contractor for the rehab, a property manager to handle the rentals, and a savvy CPA to optimize your tax strategy.

You want a service that provides a full credit report, full criminal, identity verification, etc.Then it would help if you had clear screening criteria.

Do you have reliable and affordable insurance?

As for getting a mortgage, you will need reliable income and some W2 to show the bank.

For lenders/banks, quality vacation rentals are clearly a unique and reliably performing asset class..For investment properties these lenders typically require a minimum 20-25% down payment but since there is higher gross revenue, the investor can often qualify for a higher loan amount.

But, I don't know how reliable they are.