I'm not too familiar with the markets yet but research I've done suggests that the towns of New Britain, New Haven and Hartford all have a good mix of inventory and low prices coupled with plenty of amenities, night life, cafes, etc and local colleges to bring younger people to the area year after year.

I feel like I need to stay local (Greater Cincinnati OH)2-4 units.  

If you can't leave NY, I really wouldn't try to do a BRRR from that far away unless you have someone you trust who is local.

Depending on the salaries of the new jobs they may also price out the local residents on new home sales which would further drive up the price.

-Local banks were the best.

About to close on a 10+unit apartment building and my wife and I would like to self-manage as much as possible, as I am local. 

A buddy of mine who invests out in Phoenix once had a client facing a similar timing mismatch on a rehab project.. they ended up working closely with a local credit union who was more open to interim valuations.

I’m currently doing research about up and coming areas such as this post as well as looking for local groups.

I had a unique perspective of how these two industries working together.While performing an inspection on a house, I got to chat with the seller and found he was a commercial construction superintendent for a large local company.

And you are local!