New to Investing/Baltimore

[Adam Claudy]

Hi all, I just transitioned out of the service and moved back to the area, trying to finally get my foot in the door in this real estate investing game, despite the market insanity, and have been leaning towards Baltimore. I have a good amount of cash saved up and looking to house hack and use BRRR strategies. I am originally from this area and know central MD relatively well, but curious what neighborhoods in Baltimore and surrounding areas folks are investing in.

Perusing the local news sources, it does seem like crime is on the rise in the city. Not sure if this is more of a trend than historically speaking, or similar and just getting more attention. Has anyone had any major issues with property crime or have concerns that crime or the city's pretty consistent population decline will affect the housing market long-term? On another hand, seems like there are promising developments around Port Covington despite some setbacks, and city leaders are working to correct other issues, but no doubt these things take time.

I've also heard Maryland/Baltimore are not the most landlord friendly; has anyone had any major issues with the regulations, especially during/post COVID?

As for the surrounding counties, is anyone attempting to BRRRR in those markets, or are materials and home prices just too steep?

I've found the Baltimore REIA, but are there any other good meetups in the area to network?