I think some of it is that I have gotten comfortable with the 10,000 person towns on the coast that are so easy to quickly get to know that trying to get to know a big city like Reno is just a bit overwhelming.

It all comes down to your comfort and knowledge.  

Work with only people you like/feel comfortable with.

I could tell you that Ardmore is super safe but youre looking at $1M+ for a quadplex.If you need help getting in touch with a lender and seeing what you can get qualified for, don't hesitate to reach out.I would recommend NE Philly and Bucks county as they are very close proximity to princetonI would:First get preapproved and then start to target the areas I would be comfortable living in.You might have better luck with Duplexes in the philly area as there are more of them out there.

(Need to commute to midtown w/o a car and for it to be safe enough for my girlfriend to be comfortable walking alone in the evening)I’ve thought about D4D/direct marketing but I don’t know how effective it would be in the NYC area?

The one you are most comfortable with.  

I have a comfort level for challenging projects.

So part of the question comes down to how comfortable are you being able to hold onto a zero / negative cash flow property.  

I, like many used to think “newbies” posted questions or asked for “help” to obtain the best advice from experienced investors, obtain guidance on strategic alternatives, or get a qualified opinion on whether the latest hot guru was worth the $40k price of admission.But, I was WRONG.No, none of those reasons are why newbies come to BP.They don’t want to find out that their “revelation” about how to invest has been tried about 10 million times - with limited successThey don’t want to learn that without capital, knowledge and experience their willingness to commit weekends is near uselessThey don’t want our opinion that they should skip trying to wholesale and spend some time learning as a licensed agentThey don’t want advice that has them taking classes at community colleges or learning real estate law, finance, or principles.So WHAT do they seek when they come to BPThey want comfort, encouragement. and to be told their thoughts are correct.

Increase deductibles: Raising your deductible can result in lower premiums, but make sure you're comfortable with the potential out-of-pocket expenses in the event of a claim.4.