Look at it as an ounce of pain or a pound of regret..you're not going to win every offer and every prospect isn't going to check out.

I'm more an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure kind of gal. 

I have an area in mind that is currently undesirable but based on market trends seems to be primed for growth in the next 5 years.Any advice on research I could conduct before diving in, or other avenues I could explore to start and build my portfolio would be greatly appreciated.

I recommend you read some books about how to manage properties well, use a strong contract, know that contract inside/out, know your state law inside/out, build policies and procedures to catch and stop problems quickly, know how to screen and select good applicants, etc.An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

For example, it could be in an undesirable or unsafe location, overpriced relative to the market, managed by a property manager or landlord of poor repute, or be substandard in quality.Nonetheless, if you’re more confident about investing in Chattanooga, there’s no problem with that either—it’s a solid market.

The property is extremely mismanaged and the tenants are quite undesirable. 12 of the units are affordable housing tenants and 5 of them are on a master lease with this company who lets the homeless community use the units.

This makes M2M undesirable in many cases. 

So a little lower revenue is undesired, but I am in a position to have no issues absorbing it.  

Hello,I have invested in a few rental properties in my small Canadian home town and the rules/prices/undesirable areas make it harder to invest in Canada.  

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."