How does one choose where to start rei

[Jessica Tse]

Hi all!

I'm a newbie investor, young 20s, saving up for my first house hack and hoping to purchase in a year. I'm based out of CO currently, but my family lives back in IA. While I am planning on buying in CO at least for now, I'm not sure if CO is where I want to be long term and wonder if I need to consider being closer to family. I've considered Chicago and IL area, but have heard about the negative impacts the governance has on rei there. My W2 is flexible and I could work remotely if needed or find another job. What overall advice would you have for someone navigating where in the states to start investing? How did you experienced investors decide where and when to "settle" down? What feedback do you have on your location that you are investing in and how it has worked for you? Ultimately, how much does location matter and is it more of a personal decision than a business decision?

An ethnically diverse, urban area with a decent population of young professionals and career opportunity is important to me, which is why I initially considered Chicago. It is also within driving distance to my family. Are there any areas within the midwest that you know of that has those qualities?