I came across BP - and the resources and community here are just so vast and meaningful, I had to join.

I remember I used to drive by my first rental property often just to make sure... - IDK, that it was still there??

You might want to visit Detroit if you have not, and drive around the different streets in the city- but I warn you it is very dangerous in many parts.

A good investor agent can find deals for you, you can cold call, drive around, and scour city data.

I mean drive up and down the Eastern part of the state until you find an area that has not been completely discovered.

I can't figure out what the economic forces are in the community driving the high rents and relatively low purchase prices.

They don’t want to drive more than an hour each way every day.

I would recommend doing a "reduced" (~60%-70%) leverage refinance which would help drive your rate down as much as possible and hopefully still maintain the cash flow that you would like to have, especially since they are free and clear.If you were to go the portfolio route, I would confirm with the lender you use what their 'occupancy requirement' is.

As long as you have the knowledge, drive, and a great/qualified team to work with, you can find success in most places.

If so, and it drives the bids up in price I'll be sure to send him a thank you note!!