But with some creativity--and perhaps a willingness to commute--you may be able to make it happen.

They are very sharp on logging IPs and distance, etc.

it's great. lot of people still want to be within commuting distance of the city. hospitals, colleges, etc too so its great.

What is distance to tie-ins to main line?

My biggest concerns are 1) the property is not exactly walking distance to the beach, and 2) the area looks a little crummy in spots with some trailers.

There doesn't seem to be any meetups within a reasonable distance from us, which has made local networking and building a team more difficult.

But I will note (and admittedly I am only familiar with the CA markets from a distance), but for every true foreclosure/investor loosing everything in a syndication, I have read just as many stories about CA tenant that stayed in unit for 12+ months without paying.  

Quote from @Arron Paulino: I can't tell you what's better because I'm not familiar with what you currently have.I recommend reading "Long-Distance Real Estate Investing" by David Greene to learn how to identify other markets and find the people you'll need to help along the way (REALTOR, property manager, contractor, lender).

The core 4 is David Greene’s long-distance investing strategy and consists of a realtor, contractor, property manager, and lender.

Distance from hospitals, property size (studios and 1 bedrooms probably do best), amenities like black out curtains and other comforts of home.Last thing I'll say is don't target just one MTR tenant type.