Your cost/risk assessment can make you choose one or the other, none or both.

I’ve watched dozens of videos about the topic.

Sometimes with our backgrounds and knowledge, when someone asks as question, it's too easy to jump to the end and assume they are following the logic.If I were trying to invest in an MSA that I do not live in, I would interview maybe half a dozen real estate agents that have worked with investors before and ask them for references so that you can speak to some of their investors and get feedback on what it is like working with them.  

If the markets get better, they can refi to a lower, more permanent financing, if not, they can ride the wave or sell.It's all about your plan and anticipating what might happen so you can mitigate losses and assessing how much risk you are willing to take. 

@Blake Jackson make sure any PMC you interview agrees with your Class assessments, to avoid surprises.In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

They've been great to work with and we've done at least a dozen loans. 

I'd agree with your assessment about multifamily properties in the Charlotte area.

Which is also useful to see what's out there and assess the demand in your area. 

In one post you say that you're just getting started and know nothing about lending, but in over a dozen others you're soliciting people to contact you as you're going to lend them money.Can you clear this discrepancy up?

I filter out anything that appears to be a big bank, I remove any duplicate owners, I take out properties with assessed values that are way too high (out of my price range, anyway) and I try to get a list that ONLY includes tax delinquent properties.