Starting my investment journey and curious which markets would be best for rentals.

[King Kramer]

Hello! My name is King and I’m just starting on my real estate journey. My goal is to buy and hold long term rentals. I’m open to long distance investing but I’m curious what markets around the country y’all would say are the best currently. Thanks for your help! 

[Joe Villeneuve]

Quote from @Manco Snead:

King, I'd read a bunch of books, podcasts, whatever, on the basics so you understand the numbers and what you want out of re investing. Be careful on this site as many people are trying to sell you something. I.e. the agent from Memphis will tell you Memphis is a great place to invest. In other words be careful who you trust in RE. Some people will give you honest advice in terms of location, but nobody is going to give you their hard earned secrets. I would also definitely not (N-O) buy out of state as your first rental. Way too many landmines. Buy down the street and manage yourself so you can learn how to do it; there's a million moving parts. And beware the property manager; they'll make or break your investment; many are unscrupulous.

I agree with everything here, except "buy down the street".  I'm not saying don't buy there, I'm saying don't buy there where the reason to buy down the street is based on ease of management...only.  You only buy where you cash flow, and if you can't cash flow down the street, the only thing you'll learn if you did buy there is to not buy there...again.