You might want to visit Detroit if you have not, and drive around the different streets in the city- but I warn you it is very dangerous in many parts.

A good investor agent can find deals for you, you can cold call, drive around, and scour city data.

I mean drive up and down the Eastern part of the state until you find an area that has not been completely discovered.

Land value are increasing at a steady rate just as of yesterday 300 square meters of land in the surrounding area was sold at $3000. 

I can't figure out what the economic forces are in the community driving the high rents and relatively low purchase prices.

They don’t want to drive more than an hour each way every day.

Still on a learning curve. but for me the Toledo and surrounding areas.

I love Chicago and its surrounding suburbs because there are so many great multi-family options!

I would recommend doing a "reduced" (~60%-70%) leverage refinance which would help drive your rate down as much as possible and hopefully still maintain the cash flow that you would like to have, especially since they are free and clear.If you were to go the portfolio route, I would confirm with the lender you use what their 'occupancy requirement' is.

As long as you have the knowledge, drive, and a great/qualified team to work with, you can find success in most places.