I was a finance manager in a high tech company, since my company does lay-off every year, I know there will one day be my turn to let go. so I want to get into insurance industry. since gotten my license in 2014, I was not able to sell much policy.

I must confess it was not worth the  $700 I paid for it, although I knew I was not going to become a real state "investor" simply by attending the seminar I was surprised by the whole thing being a giant sales pitch.. 

If you're open to a bit more hands on work, you can get into the STR/Airbnb game which can notably increase your income.

I will say this, may a giant sized meteorite land on this jerks head!

I am grateful for the opportunity to tap into their giant customer base.

I am getting nervous now that I am not able to transfer the mortgage to the LLC or if I do, I will trigger a due on sale clause?

.- it's deductible on your taxes, provided you itemize (which every real estate investor should)- you're borrowing in today's dollars, but paying in future dollars; inflation over time for the USD tends to hover around 2% per year (Fed's goal, although at the moment it's slightly less), and mortgages right now are well below 4%, thus really meaning that you end up with only a <2% cost year on year, all else being equal- the cash you haven't spent on your property can go to other places, such as more real estate, the stock market (historical long-term yields of 7.5%), or giant billboards with you making a silly face on them (yield: priceless) All that being said, make sure you have a bit of a buffer and a few exit strategies.

The last time I was in the area - I was kinda not able to find apt resources to rely on for local maintainence & ended up in Vermont & purchased 2 STRs there.  

If I would say anything that would be helpful on the state level, it would be: it's a landlord friendly state, so long term rentals are good from that standpoint; from 2020 to 2021 it was #8 in terms of population growth, so people are moving here a lot; tourism is notable here, STRs do well in certain areas; property taxes are generally lower than many states; if you're investing in East Tennessee act like you're a UT fan, especially with their football team doing so well this season! 

I tried to open the door with the keys I had and as soon as I tried to turn the lock, there was someone from inside trying to turn it back so I was not able to open the door.