It has been a solid investment.

There are many solid points in this thread.

These shrink very slowly and can cause floors out of level.Decrepit plumbing / leaky waste lines.Look for wood destroying insect damage. 

$750-$800 will land you a solid apartment in Greensboro, you will have to shop around though as the areas in Greensboro are quite mixed!

Rather than waste time with random properties, I've learned it is beneficial for both parties to take the time to really learn what an investor wants to buy, then go find it for them.

@Keleen Culberson if you have good credit and solid income, you have options.I took out a personal loan to cover the downpayment and got a hard money loan for my first deal.

Over time, I've transitioned more into the real estate finance side of things, but having a solid background in construction is in valuable.   

When dealing with inherited tenants don't waste time being concerned about how they feel, most inherited tenants are not worth keeping, being fair has nothing to do with market rents.

I'm not worried about liability, I just think it's a waste if time.

A great buyers agent will be able to help you fine tune your strategy, highlight market trends, knows where and what to look for, hook you up with the best lenders, inspectors, contractors, etc, get you the full background on a property and the sellers, knows how a particular property compares to other deals and what a great deal looks like, identify untypical risks and knows what to look for before you waste time and money on an offer & homeinspection just to cancel the deal later, get the lowest possible offer accepted, oversee the transaction and handle all the paperwork, including title work and appraisal, knows how to approach a short sale differently from a REO, negotiate inspections and repairs successfully and help you make more money, safes you time and lower your risk every step of the way.Sounds like you signed with someone who provides value by knowing lockbox numbers?