Reach out to fellow investors in your area to see who they've worked with.

If this job popped up out of the blue, your intent was not to move within the 1st year, so you may be ok.If you are planning on building a portfolio of homes, it is safest to stick in your home for 12 months to reduce the appearance of potential fraud. 

There's a few good meetups here that I'm very active in.

:) Would love to make some connections/friends here! 

I've talked to two local agents about possible price points to list at, but it almost seems like they are pulling numbers out of a hat.

Easier to find two $1000 renter vs one $2000 renter.3.  

Unfortunately due to the business you choose to operate incidents like the one you experienced are more likely to occur compared to a property that's continually occupied by a tenant where the water would more likely be run at a higher frequency which would prevent the pipes from freezing.  

I'd keep the rental and by no means refinance it to take cash out. 

I would highly encourage paying a GC to walk deals out the gate, have them give a scope of work so you can see what items costs.

Here’s our OPINION for the Metro Detroit market (use as a template for your target area!)