Transitioning from being a passive real estate investor to active

[Eli Miles]

I have been investing in real estate through syndicate deals for many years.  I currently live in NYC, but have invested all over the place.  I started in NJ across the river from NYC to Brooklyn and then to Florida, Colorado, Dallas and others.  Now, I would like to start taking a more active role.  My concern is that it is very hard to start.  I would like to either buy small multi family properties or fix and flip.  My concern is that prices near me are so inflated that the returns will not be good.  Im looking for an area within 2 hours that has a decent economy and the pricing is attractive enough to make good returns.  Ideas?