I'm looking to upgrade without breaking the bank.

It also gives you an opportunity to do minor upgrades when you need to replace something over that 5 years without them losing their "resale" value.

I am considering buying a house in my home state (which is Pennsylvania) living in it for about a year and upgrading it (not sure how much the upgrade is going to be, I don’t even have the house yet!

I would focus on ugly / smelly that you can fix in 2-3 weeks Max (paint, flooring, maybe upgrade kitchen or bathrooms) and get sweat equity from that differential (and a little less competition from move-in ready homebuyers).

And when your getting policies written make sure your asking for code upgrade and match policy if available.

I would need recommendations on home inspection (who would you hire in CLT), negotiation tips on what I should ask the seller to fix before closing the deal and what upgrades (when needed) matter the most to tenants to get me a good rent/ROI?

It doesn't hurt to post some sample pictures and explain the upgrades in the description. 

We had him install new circuits, multiple recessed lights, ventilation fans, upgrade breakers, and multiple indoor and outdoor receptacles to bring the system up to code. 

How can you leverage that to upgrade your group of contacts to the next level? 

We did minor upgrades and repairs, added 1 full bath, and after COVID delays, finally rented the property at $2300 per mo.