Invest locally in Seattle, out of state, or something else?

[Wayne Lee]

I'm a first-time investor based in Seattle with about $80k cash to spend on a buy and hold rental property. The Seattle real estate market seems like a tough one to break into. Other locations or options I've considered so far:

• Searching further out but within a 3 hour radius from Seattle
• The Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois), where I lived for a few years
• Cincinnati, where I have in-laws
• Turnkey investing (through RP Capital)

What would you do in my situation?