Whichever direction you go, be sure to work with folks who understand this and gives you the confidence to take reasonable action - I'd personally take an okay investment and weather the storm for a few years that will eventually perform well, and do that each year - rather than take 3 years to wait for the best deal possible.

The weather is great there, its cheap and ecology is clean.  

This area definitely gives you good weather year round, summertime gets hot so as long as you're getting systems serviced before then and then in the fall you're usually ok. 

Miami is still doing well, Fort Myers is adjusting and has lower real estate than 12 months ago, etc..)My simple thought, for what it is worth, is choose a place to live and not invest in:  choose the location you and your family WANT to live in ( because of the schools, taxes, weather, other family there, etc...) and then buy and do real estate there (and get whatever licenses you need once you start third party management).I wish you well!

Home prices are one, cost of living and relatively disaster-free weather keeps insurance costs down.You can look up the median home price for every city or metro area.

In Milwaukee the weather can get pretty cold and we want to protect the tenant, but also the pipes in the property from freezing.For that reason we do have a stockpile of emergency equipment which includes electric space heaters.

Guest left all windows and door open in our cabin in -15 degree weather when they left causing a frozen pipe.

In lieu of living quarters, and if your area doesn't really need the value of a garage due to weather, the best uses I have seen are full-service home offices or gyms.

The harsh truth is that you are not cut out for this business.

Weather - you need to make sure tenants are warm in the winter and cool in the summer.