However, the time I could spend in Atlanta before buying might help me avoid headaches by getting to know the market even better than my research.I currently do not have an investor-friendly agent there, but I do have a real-estate contact here in Boston who lived there for 20 years.I am interested to hear your thoughts and what you'd do, if you were in my shoes.I wouldn't necessarily move to an area before I'd invest there, but I would spend a week getting to know the neighborhoods first hand. 

I don't think cap rate for residential RE is necessarily the best metric, but I try and achieve a 10% minimum gross rent to purchase price figure, so a $300K property I am hoping to achieve a $30K/month gross income goal.

Ask people in BP who are not selling books and courses how many have achieved this.

I still have no deals under my belt but I did get experience seeing first hand the "ins and outs" of deal structures working under an active investor. 

If you cannot delay gratification, you are unlikely to be successful in anything because most things in life that are deeply satisfying - getting fit, getting an advanced education, moving deeply through a career, achieving financial success, etc - takes a lot of time and effort and requires sacrificing many short-term niceties and pleasures for long-term achievement. 

Once I achieve this, I'll consider it a success, and any additional investments will be a bonus.

Congratulations on closing your second property—that’s a fantastic achievement.

Do you have a personal or professional network that you can adapt to provide the deals you want to achieve the goals you have for yourself?  

Long-term goals could involve building a diverse portfolio, achieving financial independence, or even transitioning into real estate full-time.Ultimately, the journey in real estate investing is both challenging and rewarding.

Many investors have achieved excellent returns here, making Richmond a great place to build capital for future investments.