my plan is to study finance-related majors in the future, and then practice after having enough experience.

I am new to the world of REI & a late comer.  I want to build wealth for me & my child and feel stuck.  I depleted my savings when I stupidly renovated a house on which I'm not the sole owner on title. I am cu...

If the security deposit is not going to cover the the water bill or damages, try to scare him into covering the balance by hinting at sending him to collections and it will appear on any future credit pulls he may have done.

The knowledge you gain from it will enable you to grow 10X in the future.

If you find this is the case with a property you’re evaluating I would run away not walk as this can be a huge problem for future cash flow.

I’m curious about properties in this price range with communities that could grow in near future the further west people move from the city. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/206-E-North-St-Morris-IL-...

Your goals seem to balance future personal use with investment potential.

mortgage principal will remain in the future

However, I have no idea how to choose from the remaining cities, it seems there are a lot of potential options:- Midwest - Michigan (ie: Grand Rapids) seems to have options, also seeing Columbus Ohio and Indianapolis coming up- Reno - I've seen mentioned several times on here- Pittsburgh / Philadelphia / Twin Cities - All mentioned as lower cost to get started, and seem to be experiencing growthI'd ideally like to find a place that has strong potential for future growth, a diversified economy, and I don't mind living in (being close to nature would be a plus). 

This is because I only buy nice properties which helps minimize my future repairs.