You will find that people are successful in every market you mentioned but depending on your cash position, a successful rental in one location or the other might not be as ideal for you. 

I have been working with many people who are just trying to get started with real estate investing.

@Grant ShipmanIn my experience with these units are very difficult to manage and people at the 30% level also create a new set of problems.

I am not a bankruptcy expert, but isn't that procedure used to release people from existing debt but not monthly expenses.  

What do people think about hot tubs in your STR ?

Thanks Ryan Dossey I also like to see the before and after pics that people are willing to share. 

I bet they get a lot of money from people who just don't have the time. 

For example, we have an artisan chocolatier in a town of 350 people.

E2 Visa is either a 2 or 5 year Visa which has to be renewed and never leads to a green card.  

Don't let them choose for you.Just inspect what you expect....Also I would talk to housing office in Memphis to get a feel of how many people are on the Section 8 waitlist, what kind of rents they pay, what zip codes are they targeting, see if they have any stats about how long tenants stay and average rent.While a lot of people try to look at google street view to get an idea of the neighborhood, there is no substitute for visiting in person.