Looking for advice on Springfield, MA

[Mary Goodman]

Hi there! 
New poster. No experience with real estate investing for income generating properties (Aside from the rent I collect on the condo I own and live in), in the Boston area. 

I'm glancing at Springfield MA and it.. seems like it may not be bad for a first time investor who is a bit risk cautious? I can buy a 3-4 unit in what appears to be really good shape for 200k-ish in zipcodes where rent tends to be 800-1500.  It appears that the city has low vacancy to boot, comparable to that of Boston.

The employment there is... pretty bad.. but otherwise it seems decent?

Am I missing something huge? I'd love some personal stories for people who have done what I'm looking at, and how it's panned out.. especially if you can rec agents, property managers, etc.

Thanks so much!

-M