All North DFW has the highest appreciation while South DFW will be giving you the better cash flow.If this is your first rodeo, then I would suggest to be close home if you are also planning to self-manage.Then the age of the properties and access to highways.

And the city is growing very fast, so you should see a lot of appreciation as well. 

By the way, from what I read in the Wall Street Journal, there’s a growing number of niche investors cropping up who love grabbing assignments that fly under the mainstream radar, especially if you’re bringing something fresh to the table like a distressed duplex they can reposition, or a small portfolio of row homes they can turn into long-term rentals.

Then divide that cost by the amount of time between now and then and that's how much you should be putting aside for Capex.For general maintenance, the age and condition of the building will play into that.

I have this theory that basically the stock market can grow faster than the fundamentals more so than housing, reason being when people put money into their 401k or whatever they are just throwing money in, not looking at p/e or whatever, the stock market is in part just an index of Americans excess savings plus it’s a unstated policy of the government that stocks go up, where as housing people are obviously very very aware of how much thier monthly payments is/ how much rent is, plus it seems that is actually a push to lower housing prices at least relative to inflation.

Hi @Avi Manthe being a local milwaukee real estate investor here are some organizations that are worth checking out to grow your network for hard money, contractors, etc. 

Greenfield is a growing area, and being in a golf course neighborhood across two lots adds a ton of value to your options.I’d recommend starting by connecting with local investor groups or meetups in Indianapolis—Facebook groups or here on BiggerPockets are solid places to find people actively working in that market.

I think that is the right way to start until I grow, and eventually buy a property and then figure out an exit strategy.

And what is a "mileage book" anyway in the age of navigation apps?

This helped us strategically reposition and continue growing our portfolios.