Where do I go from here?

[Robert Bodmer]

Hi BP, I need some help deciding where I go from here. 

A little background: I am about to finish my first house hack in Baltimore City (Pending refi) and really enjoyed the process of screening tenants and handling the nuances of being the property manager. Sure, it's still early and only one tenant but I feel as if I would be good at being a PM because I am overly organized and highly systemized with what I do. (Already have standard operating procedures book even though I just have 1 tenant) 

The struggle is where I go from here. I wouldn't mind being a PM, but I'm also not enticed to stay in the area. Baltimore City makes it difficult for being a landlord and the city does not have good overall statistics when I look at trends. That being said, there are numerous deals, cash flow is good, and I already have a decent network. Also, wanting to be a PM means I should stay around where I live. 

When looking at data, it appears that the best area around me for the price point I want to work with and the general market is Lancaster, PA. This area isn't too far (Hour and a half) but would still make being a PM significantly more difficult. On top of traveling for showings, I would need to rebuild my network there, learn all the tenant/landlord laws and deals don't seem to be as prevalent as in Baltimore. But Lancaster does have significantly less strict landlord laws than Baltimore. 

Looking for some advice on where to go. Stay in the area I know and be a PM or follow the data and attempt to be a PM at a distance?

[Joe Norman]

There are plenty of other jurisdictions in Maryland with more favorable landlord-tenant laws then Baltimore City.  Baltimore County comes to mind, why not focus your PM practice there?