@Mark Cruse and @Nathan Gesner are right on track, as usual....People are all too happy to rain on your parade, especially when they have failed themselves....misery loves company...It's kinda like verifying that they couldn't make it and therefore no one can.

Has been a huge headache for the bank and insurance company.

As someone else mentioned there will also be additional expenses when you bring on a property management company.

moving it to an LLC will not do much for you in the way of asset protection OR taxes (double check that with a cpa, everyone's tax picture is different). most people lean towards the LLC thing for legal protection, but a single-member LLC is a thin veil that's easily pierced. you'd be paying LLC fees & paying another LLC tax return prep fee, for what i'd say is nothing. if you do want to transfer the deed to an LLC anyway, you'd do a 'quit claim deed' with a title company or real estate attorney. if the mortgage lender ever says something you'll just give them proof that it's a single-member LLC and the one member is you (the original borrower). 

You have seen it for 3 years in your daily lives, when you go to the store, or buy a used car, try to buy a home, order parts for your widget company etc…So in summary, prices are here to stay and we need more homes to be built, likely catalyzed by proper incentives / less onerous regulation.

We need to secure loans/mortgages externally in order to get started so wondering if we should start a company/partnership or if it’s best to do this as individuals.

What are your opinions on these 2 locations and if you have any recommendations on property management companies in these areas, please let me know as well!

I have my broker's license and I still use my longtime realtor to show me properties; I just needed my broker's license to set up our property management company, and I also get to use it for full-time real estate professional purposes at tax time (I'm retired); I don't use it for looking at properties or anything of that sort. 

Is there any way to avoid capital gains on selling company stock?

Do you have any reliable contractors contacts  information?