I'd recommend doing a little tax planning with your person this year to establish a timeline so you don't accidentally lose out on this by playing with timing a little.

If possible it's definitely worth visiting the market you plan to invest in so you can start to build relationships and familiarize yourself with the area.

Side note I am planning on investing in Texas or NC but I don't live there currently.Thanks in advance

It comes down to finding the best level of protection that fits your budget.When I sit down with clients, I always discuss (1) their personal assets, and (2) what their current investments portfolio and other business ventures are before discussing (3) their future goals.

I plan on keeping this house as a buy and hold as well as buying several more properties in the future. 

Lower down payment requirements but you have to live in the property for a year, no big deal if you plan on house hacking for FHA.

They may have suggestions or a plan on when to contact the State.

The quickest way to see what you can do is to go talk to an architect/engineer and run your plan by them.

It has extra land where we plan add another 1-3 rental units.

What I'd do is Airbnb it the popular months from late spring to early fall and then plan to get a medium-term renter in there for the remaining four months.