the best location for duplex/triplex/quadplex investing?

[Joon Hui Yoon]

Hi all,

I am going to start investing in rental properties from this fall/winter 2023.

I have a full-time job and will keep it so my strategy will be as passive as possible, such as buy-and-hold.

with 7.5% mortgage and much inflated prices I am in trouble finding the best location for rental property investing near my town.

I live in Bridgewater, NJ. I have been looking at properties in Somerville, Flemington, Somerset, Highland Park, Edison. in those areas there is no way to expect any cash flow after expense and mortgage due to the high price levels. 

I couple of real estate agents recommended mostly north Jersey area, such as Linden, Elizabeth, Rahway, but those are also expensive and the neighborhood seems to be too tough for me to manage with minimal available time.

I had lived in Quakertown, PA I drove around that area before, and I found Easton area is also affordable and enjoying lower property tax. I also think Trenton/Hamilton area is also affordable, though its neighborhood is tougher than Easton.

So my question is: Is Easton is good place for small multifamily investing? if you have any experience, is it better than Trenton area? in general in those areas are good starting points for newbies? my very rough target is achieving 1% rule with minimal involvement.

Any advice will be very appreciated.

Thank you.