Looking to relocate to MO Ozarks or Middle/East Tennessee

[Emilio Shah]

Hi all my name is Emilio,

I am new to BP and real estate investing in general. I am a homesteader currently in New Mexico and have been trying to educate (podcasts, books, BP forums, etc) myself in the ways of real estate investing. 

I currently work remotely and have a W2 income with some savings.

I am looking to relocate east either to the Missouri Ozarks or Middle/East Tennessee. One of the critical components of choosing my next homestead location will be access to a decent size city within an hour or so where I can do buy and hold investments for cash flow. I am planning on taking a road trip in the next month to scout some different areas and get a lay of the land. 

I thought I would try and make some connections in these two regions before my trip and go from there.

From what I can tell, TN seems more expensive across the board than Southern MO. I personally know of people from all over the country that are moving to these two regions (at least twice as many to TN though). It seems like the real estate market is much stronger in Middle/East Tennessee than it is in say Springfield, MO. I am assuming some of this is due to the tax differences.

Any advice, tips or connections are appreciated.

Thanks so much,

Emilio