You’re right, those factors (especially healthcare) and job opportunities for my spouse as an OT are just as important.The Midwest has been high on my list, not just for investment potential but also as a place I’m excited to explore.

20% is not high for managing a STR.

Highly recommend you DM @Samuel Eddinger and buy him lunch to pick his brain!

It gets quite cold here and power bills can be pretty high. 

If you have large debt with a high interest rate, I would consider paying that off before getting started investing in real estate. 

Prices in relation to rent are too high to have the cushion that was available before. 

These are things at the high level I want to be looking at for all my real estate purchases. 

But the level of negative cash flow that you're talking about is quite high and it sounds like it's not something you're comfortable with and thus should look for something else.

I see many people saying oh it is just $100 but as I said it adds up pretty fast and in reality, it is way more than a $100 difference as the price of insurance is going up very high.

The city is among a number of nodes for Tesla suppliers popping up throughout the Austin metro as a result of the so-called "Tesla effect" — which is shorthand for the trend of electric vehicle suppliers flocking to the region in response to Tesla's mammoth presence in eastern Travis County, where it has a gigafactory and headquarters.