New BP Member in Philadelphia area with some basic questions!

[Robert Gonzalez]

Hello everyone!

I am new to BP and live in the Philadelphia area (currently in Delco, moving to Montco later this year). I have started reading around a lot on BP in the past month andI am hoping to start investing later this year or early next year once my life slows down a bit (moving, new job for wife, etc). I would like to invest locally. What are good areas in Montgomery or Chester County (where i work) to invest in and to avoid? My wife and I also have a crap load of student loan debt (approx 580k @ 7%), does it make sense to pay that off before investing or is that just limiting my future income by doing that? I don't really know what to expect for return on investment in this area, and we are thinking more on the single family or duplex/triplex rental side of things for cash flow and long term holding. All advice and wisdom is appreciated!