How to find multifamily and why do people abandon them?

[Ian F.]

Hey all,

After a flip from hell, two years and a lot of lessons learned I am considering getting into real estate after relocating.

My original investment strategy was to buy a duplex and house hack, but all the units I saw were trashed and not up to code.  I mean every single property but one, and I spent 3 solid months of looking two or three times a week.  Why do people let this happen to their rental properties?  I saw units with families living in houses that were structurally unsound, electrically unsafe, etc.  These people just sucked up rent and depreciation while leaving absolutely nothing but a death trap good for pawning off on a gullible investor, or demolishing.  Add to that the terrible state of our local economy and it felt nearly impossible to get started. /end rant.  Is this just a south jersey thing or is this everywhere?  Did anyone else experience this getting started?

That being said, what areas are best to move to for multifamily investing?  I know Dallas is growing fast, as is most of Texas.  Also, I work in IT so there's no city where I would really have a hard time getting a job.

Thanks in advance and pardon my rant.