I just closed on a duplex in Dayton for $189K $1100 a door and have an investor closing on a 4 unit for $325K in Indy with great rents that cash flow over $1000 a month.I have seen Indiana, & Ohio pick up some major heat over the last 3 years for investors while Boise falls somewhat short.

But you still have to provide (and maintain) a kitchen, a bathroom, HVAC (well maybe just heat), a water heater.

Affordability is about 1:3So yeah on the surface it looks like a big difference, but there's a lot of things not controlled for in the stats- There were a crazy amount of houses built in the years just after the war, so housing stock was easy to come by everywhere;- Homes had nowhere near the kind of features they have now - 2 car garages, dishwashers, OTC microwaves, W/D hookups, high efficiency windows, central heat & air conditioning, etc - all those doodads and niceties drive up the cost of housing;- Fewer mortgages were 30 year, so homeowners had to pay (relatively) higher monthly payments;- Rentals were almost exclusively apartments, so there was more supply for buyers;ETCI think these things tend to be more stories that make for good press but aren't really that grounded in reality overall.

Then you can decide if you want to retain as a rental property (my plans) and/or sell it when the market heats up.  

I didn't know the difference between a heating system and water heater, I didnt know how to screen deals, I didnt know how to calculate cash on cash. we all start somewhere. 

You need to sit down with them and heat them out.then you wouldn't be so judgemental.

Vancouver will capture the heat produced by bitcoin mining, to heat the city. 

Have a salon with a water heater that was installed around three months ago, and the tenant has complained that it's having issues heating the water; I suspect it may be an electrical issue with the system. 

Even a typical water heat replacement would set you back signficantly.There's plenty to the puzzle that i am unaware of but with what you've outlined here i would consider passing on the property.you know you need managementyou know you need to remove at least one tenantyou know cashflow is meager after considering management.i personally wouldn't recommend a client take on the risk for such a paltry pay out out of state.Even when considering long term appreciation the average amount of headache one assumes with a property will bog you down before the long term play pays off.

In our property, the house was open to the air in the damp environment of coastal Florida, no heat or A/C at the house.