The vast majority of agents fail not just because they can't do the job, it is because most people who start a small business fail (they never have done it before).As @Robert Leonard mentioned, Gary Keller's book is a good read.

When you mention credit being ruined, I thought Hard money is when the house is used as the collateral and not your personal credit?

If it’s purely a for-profit venture for the seller, then yes, rates may be higher.

As @Stan Hill mentioned, always have them sign a lien waiver in exchange for a check. 

Looking at the numbers CAPEX and repairs add a huge amount to the monthly expenses.For instance, this third deal:Monthly Income: $1,100Monthly Expenses $1,134.14Monthly Cashflow: -$34.14Pro Forma Cap: 5.22%NOI: $5,215Total Cash Needed: $11,050Cash on Cash ROI: -3.71%Purchase Cap Rate: $5.73Sale Price: $91,000Closing Costs: $2,500Renovation Costs: $4,550 (5%)TOTAL PROJECT COSTS: $98,050Down Payment: $4,550 (5%)Loan Amount: $87,314.5Loan Points: $864.5 (1%)Amortized: 30 yearsInterest Rate: 5%P&I: 468.72Total Cash Needed: $11,050Property Taxes: $2,184/yr2% Rule: 1.13%Initial Equity: $12,685.50Gross Rent Multiplier: 6.89Debt Coverage Ratio: 0.93Expense Increase: 4%/yrIncome Increase: 5%/yrProperty Value Increase: 4%/yrCash on Cash ROI: YR1 (-3.71%) YR2 (-0.63%) YR5 (2.64%) YR10 (9.76%) YR15 (31.56%)Annualized Total Return: YR1 (2.48%) YR2 (22.27%) YR5 (26.37%) YR10 (26.47%) YR15 (22.20%)Total Profit if sold: YR1 ($274) YR2 ($5,469) YR5 ($11,251) YR10 ($24,701) YR15 ($70,982)Expenses:HOA: $82Insurance: $66Taxes: $182MTG: $468.72 (@5%)TOTAL: $798.72Vacancy: $110 (10%)CAPEX: $190/mo (~2.5%)Repairs & Maint: $380/mo (5%)TOTAL EXPENSES: $1,478.72These expenses are different than the $1,134.14 mentioned early on.

The assumable clause mentioned above is GREAT advice in the case we have rising interest rates.

The one issue with having different portfolios in Appfolio is that all the money flows into the main account and you can't have separate bank accounts for each separate portfolio, I don't know if that is an issue for you or not, but felt it was worth mentioning.  

Locally, (I also live in Matthews) I would encourage you to visit many of the meetups as some good ones have already been mentioned.

Can you please mention a few major differences in residential and commercial financing?

I'll research some of the areas you mentioned, thanks for the help man