Being incredibly new to this whole process, there were plenty of things we learned.

For your first unit, unless hiring outside management which means giving up 20% of earnings, you're going to have quite a hurdle to operate a place remotely.I don't necessarily think looking at market specific data around the country and thinking you can just dive into that market and do well makes much sense.

You may want to hire a realtor to run the numbers for you. 

Hey BP family,In the process of putting in offers for a SFH, with a primary residence loan.

ENJOY the process of hitting guardrails and structuring offers, sometimes poorly, or losing deals and having sellers walk, or going OVER on rehab budgets and even losing money on rehabs as you learn what it's like to buy in a changing market.

My husband and I are in the process of buying our first home, a duplex that we are planning on house hacking.

Make sure it explicitly explains the process for termination if you are unhappy with their services, especially if they violate the terms of your agreement.3.

Can/Should I use a generic tenant contract from Google or should I hire a lawyer to help me craft one? 

I would recommend hiring a good property manager to minimize your stress level.  

You do not have any other choice, hire a PM co, Good luck