Long story short three weeks later the compressor finally shows up after several calls.

Many a local Cleveland investor has been left with a bad taste in their mouth after dealing with this guy.  

It's important to stay current and ask around about which company is responding fastest, as sometimes they are overwhelmed, not having enough local vendors, and service is slower. 

We originally rented out a single room in the home to house hack, but after a career change and a bug move we decided to turn the house into a single-family rental situation.

We are planning to start our first few properties with cash so we don't get burned on hard money interest payments since it will be after work and weekends we are working on the project.

I get charged 10% on property management per rented property, lawn maintenance and service utility on the properties not rented, and miscellaneous expenses on little things that pop up for maintaining the properties. 

Also of the those properties, ballpark, what percentage were listed and what percentage were distressed (i.e. foreclosure, short sale, off market from a wholesaler, etc...)?

Furthermore, since you mentioned that you are in the process of obtaining your Real Estate License, you can ramp up those savings by earning sales commissions by helping sellers/buyers. 

You also have the option of paying NO capital gains if you sell it within 5 years after move out.

I know how to set up an LLC in NC and obtain an EIN so I don't need a full service.