What the people that I talk to find is that they don't need to be confined to one area.  

W2s, personal homes and K1s are usually straightforward and can be DIY-ed by most computer-savvy and financially-savvy people.

Dennis' dad and I actually tripped over something similar back in Chandler.. we learned to tap into city planning websites and even call the permit offices directly to get a real sense of their backlogs.

@Armani Pimentel Yes, I believe that wholesaling is generally not the way to go, because it is getting banned, there are people who try to take advantage of aspiring entrepreneurs like you, and it is extremely low probability. 

Lots of other people had bad experiences. 

Often people overthink this.

Looking to help people in my community build wealth and continue to learn more about investments myself!

Thank you to the people that come forward and post about the bad and not just the good.

Quote from @Brendan Jones: For the homes, and or properties that you will use as a primary or a rental property one big thing I look for is infrastructure in the area, extrinsic value (I.e. hospitals in the area, schools, and job market), and the last thing is creature comforts for people (I.e. is a store to get groceries 1 hour away or 2 minutes away).

Mistakes I see people make is they plan on living there a short time and over renovate the property where they will never get the money they put into it back.