Go to Etsy and search for "rental property tracker," and you will find hundreds of nice spreadsheets to track 10-20 rentals, usually for under $10.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

I’m new to all of this and trying to do what I can to get going, but I’m also in a small market (Goldsboro, NC).

I am trying to determine what markets to search. 

When most of the agents in a market are charging 6%, with the rare 5%, it’s pretty hard to negotiate as a seller.

Being close to your properties means you can easily manage them and stay informed about the market.

Tenants have been there for 7 and 10 years respectively, but rent is is about $350 under market value.

(Remember that I work in the Poconos market, so your market may differ slightly.) 

After analyzing the local Mercer County market I've noticed there are not that many MFH that are desirable meaning cash flow can occur, but appreciation, schools and good tenants will be at risk.

HUD recently accepted my offer on a single-family house, and my bid price is 25% less than the market value, making it a great deal.

I have some good info on this market.