Hey Daniel, I'm a bit south of you down here in the Central Coast.Same thing though... the numbers don't make much sense to invest locally.We do two things.

I live in the Pacific northwest (central Washington state).

Mostly Southwest uses Love Field, the smaller older airport....so don't go there looking to fly to Sydney.Dallas has to be Real Estate Meetup Central....seems like 3-4 a week depending on your focus.Two I really like are on Thursday nights in Dallas NTAREI and Saturday mornings in Fort Worth DFW Real Estate Investor Club. 

And new electric heaters and new electric water heaters, mean the gas bill for the central heat and shared water heater goes as well.

The Central Valley is more of a rest stop area between Socal and Norcal, and it often gets dismissed.However, there are so many people with an abundance of wealth and disposable income that live in the Central Valley!

I am aware that Central Jersey, my market, has some aids that will allow me to purchase my first home, like HUD covering 15k of closing costs, but who can know more about these things?

I currently have two investment properties in the Oregon Coast and Central Oregon regions, and I'd be happy to chat and answer all your questions if you're interested.

I grew up there and have done much better investing in central Virginia. 

Currently, I reside and invest in Central Texas too -Fort Cavazos/Copperas Cove area!

I actually have one right now I'm doing. 6 unit with two garages I bought here locally in Central PA.