Once you have done it in your own backyard and know the demand of owning RE, you will be much more ready to buy out of state.

But I think, with so many pro-tenant laws coming out, if I buy a property in a more "sane" city, who knows if they won't introduce woke laws later in the future.

Buy where you intend to live, where you know the areas best.

Buying a turn key rental, in an area you know or knew well, with a property manager you've met and trust, in an area that is large enough for you to have other options to find contractors and property managers? 

It's near impossible to cash flow when most homes are selling for above $750K, Taxes and Insurance added in the PITI payment is higher than the rents.You can buy a Duplex 2 unit for example in either FL, IN, or OH and not pay more than $200K the rents are typically $1200-$1500 a door.

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.

I took quite a break from buying properties and now on the hunt again.

Imagine making millions of dollars over the course of your career and then having to pay 30-50% every year to uncle sam instead of compounding that cash over time.This is exactly what real estate professionals have learned to mitigate.To reduce their taxable income, they just buy a building every year, do a cost seg, and use depreciation to reduce their tax liability dramatically.Their personal wealth snowball grows much larger and much faster than their W2 counterparts who give most of their money back to the government each year.Following this strategy as a real estate professional is one of best ways to end up with a much larger net worth at the end of your career.

And where can I buy it? 

You can offer to buy the upstairs residents an area rug, but I wouldn't force it on them.