Are you involved with any of the local REI? 

It would also make me far more comfortable if the sponsor is a local hands on operator. 

Hi folks. I am getting hit on renewals and wondering if this is inline with what others are paying. A Nw Baltimore County townhouse landlord insurance policy between 1100-1300/yr, with a $1000 deductable, with Liberty...

Heard a lot about Huntersville, Mathews, Mount Holly etc but have no ground level understanding So far I am relying on Zillow, Redfin only to find properties so also wanted to check what are other reliable local / online MLS sources to look for prospective properties.

I have regretted every single sale we have done.Learn more about your local rental market and the specific houses you are competing with.Put together some long term models, 10-15-20 years and consider appreciation, rent increases etc. and make your decision based on an objective analysis of your overall financial condition over that time.You will probably see pay increases over time, your primary will get easier to pay for and in a few years you will really appreciate the growing margin between income and expenses by keeping the rental.

I encourage you to get involved, ask questions, be open to feedback, and allow other seasoned investors to help guide you along your journey of Real Estate Investing.I'd also check out local REIA meetings, this can be a great place to get to know other investors in your area and network with people.Best of Luck!

Smith, RA - Principal Architect at Architect Owl PLLC (Licensed in NY & CT)  My engineer walks the site and meets with me in person and reviews all the plans, plus he makes 3 visits throughout the duration of the project to check framing, fire assemblies, etc. he's a structural engineer and would never take a risk that would lose is professional engineer license. we are hands on and he's local to my market.

Also, be sure to connect with the local lenders and brokers, they can be valuable allies in achieving your real estate goals.

. - invest locally first. 

Only way to do that would be if you can show that after a refinance you can pay them out but that would be quite difficult.I'm Angie Castro a local Real Estate Agent with a focus on investments