If their "programs" worked like they claim they do, surely they would invest their time in that, and not hawking ebooks, right?"

Look for a place that does 1st time homebuyers programs.

I am happy to share any knowledge I have if you would like to chat.

I use Turbo Tax and the program just asked me if my SFH properties are Qualified Business Income or not. 

The odds of you finding the scarce lender that has some amazing program others do not in the market is very small.It happens occasionally but only a small fraction of the time.

On a smaller scale, just call a local broker (better: call all top players, hopefully there are 3-5) and tell them you have 7 properties that you want to place in their rental program, and want details on how their rental management operation works.

No advice on the out of state portion but if you and your group wants to chat about the Charlotte area I’d love to lend a hand

I'd be happy to chat about either of these two markets if you want to learn more. 

@Austin Hendrickson no plans of being in Minnesota anytime soon mostly due to our offseason program starting but would love to connect over the phone sometime soon!

I also qualified for a down payment assistance program.