My brother in law is in Lenoir north Carolina , not far from all the damage .

Once you find a property, hire a professional property manager who can make sure you comply with the laws and get you great tenants so you can build long-term wealth! 

A SFH could make sense as a house hack if you found one that has an in-law arrangement but otherwise I'd say 2-4 units is the way to go.If house hacking doesn't make sense for you & your family, you'll likely need 20-25% down for an investment loan to buy & hold a property you won't be living in.

The rental laws in S.F. are a huge maze to get lost in.

No room, then I question how serious they are about training...and you need training....real estate school teaches you laws, contracts, and concepts. 

@Noyessie Hubert research your state and local landlord tenant laws.

@Natalie Johnstone My former employer who was a privately traded company that owned over a billion dollars of real estate and had an ancillary management business with revenues that exceeded $100M annually would sometimes form entities in Delaware because business cases are tried in front of a judge w/o a Jury and case law that's applied to decisions is very well developed in the State.

But you should check Kentucky law to see if you need to register the IL LLC in Kentucky.

I was worried this might be difficult to ask them to vacate as NYC housing laws generally favor tenants. 

Having someone who understands the ins and outs of real estate tax law can make or break your investments.