I think if you are going to keep all three parties involved as owners of the deal long term then you need to separate yourself as a renter and a contractor.

Tyler,Within my 20 years of experience as a landlord, if I had $150k and good credit, I’d focus on either flips for fast capital or rentals for long-term cash flow—trying both at once can slow you down.

Generally larger commercial properties and shopping centers are easier to classify with hard and fast rules, but to the points above the residential areas really move very quickly and have way more nuance than most people care to admit.zip codes are generally way too large for my liking at least in my market to provide any kind of insights other than macro level economics but even then highways or rivers that cut through a zip code can end up with totally different trade areas.we can get pretty granular with cellphone data and with grocery center data to understand the trade areas and their true boundaries, but that kind of data pull is generally only cost effective for investors doing larger scale projects or developments, and honestly we still just end up getting on the ground and feeling it out, so I generally tell people that the money is better spent on a plane ticket and weekend trip in the area you are looking rather than any kind of "trade area" level data studies.and generally B class in 1 area means something different than another. 

Honestly, Tampa checks all the boxes for cash flow, appreciation, and long-term growth, so let me know if you need more specifics or help with a plan!

Used houses in the area sell anywhere from $75-125 a square foot.These are long term rentals that I do not plan to sell.I am reading the Rental Property Investing book and implementing the method that focuses on cash flow and that strategy states you need to have $300 cash flow per month, per property.

I have a mix of long term rentals and STRs and rent some of my STSs mid term in the off season so I am happy to share my thoughts and experiences with each strategy in this area.  

IDK pets can certainly do damage but with a decent long term tenant I tend to want to preserve the relationship.

Having a long-term rental while living abroad is do-able.Flipping houses while abroad, in my opinion, more difficult, especially if its your first go around with real estate.I would recommend taking a flight and staying in the area for a week and inspect the neighborhoods and make connections.You can reach out to @Elenis Camargo who has a PM company in Jacksonville.Best of luck though.

Make sure it explicitly explains the process for termination if you are unhappy with their services, especially if they violate the terms of your agreement.3.

Even if you don't decide to keep it in the long run, it's an appreciating asset you can make money off of.