With tax its worse because laws are constantly changing and rarely is specific advise worth giving since key facts and circumstances can change the advice and make it moot. 

Just make sure you choose a location within your budget that would be deemed affordable and is in an area with high rental demand.

I only want to focus on buy and hold investing in long-term rentals, specifically SFH and MFH.

Everyone is doing postcards, so you won't stand out, and regular folded letters just get tossed in the junk pile by default.Of course, this is all a moot point since you're operating in an incredibly specific (but high demand) niche.

I went there by myself and had a budget in mind afterward.

In the Austell Area in specific.

I would appreciate any general/specific advice that you all may have. 

Here's an article about how this affected Oxnard, not specifically RE prices, more about how the community reacted: https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2022/08/08/million...

Given the specifics of your situation, I recommend maintaining your current VA loan interest rate.

What are some states (and specific areas in those states) that are worthwhile to research and consider purchasing properties?