I am considering whether to keep investing in similar rural areas with populations below 15,000 or to transition to purchasing properties in larger cities.

lol  As was said, Century old houses are a "chore" to keep up with.

Some niches allow you to scale but you get negative momentum as you grow.My niche for the last few years has been small and medium-sized mobile home parks, I don't like RVs very much, I like to keep it simple.What other niches within the manufactured home space are you guys finding success?

Also cash returns tend to overstate the real return because not all depreciation is "paper"; depreciation is supposed to (and to some extent does) proxy that the property gets worn-out after a while and you'll need to spend additional money at some point on capital improvements to keep it in shape to be rented-out.Also how are you only putting 6.7% equity down?

In addition, get in touch with any real estate expert or anyone you trust willing to help in the process.To keep abreast of market conversations, you can make use of such tools as MLS Listings, Zillow, and Redfin.

So much that I'm sharing it with anyone that is struggling to keep the right people in the right seats. 

Please keep in mind when you do identify a lender that will take on vacant land- they will price the deal at a higher interest rate and will keep a low LTV to minimize their risk. 

Create residential densityPlease do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or for more information on pockets around Charlotte to keep an eye on :)

I could, in theory, just keep some money in savings to float these costs, but I'd really rather that money go to buying another property instead of sitting their floating money to pay contractors.

However, you run a risk that you might have to prove to the IRS that you did, in fact, paid this interest, so keep good records.