People can wholesale in NY state, but NY City is not the same and the methods used to do it in other places will not work in NYC, Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens.

One example is in one city I only buy for cash and do not cash out refi as the houses are cheap and the rent is high.

Our city code requires a method of egress for 3rd Floor units.

Median income for the city is $86K for a family of four.

Enter Comparables: Breaking into a new market within a city is hard enough.

The state of Oregon and the city of Eugene both have complex and unforgiving regulations that most often favor the tenant, so it is important that you learn about these laws so that you can make strategic choices now that avoid pitfalls later.Fortunately,  the Oregon Rental Housing Association at the state level and the Rental Owners Association of Lane county at the local level can provide you with excellent resources. 

Simply put, does anyone have suggestions of how to dispute this with the city?

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/doh/provdrs/developers...

Make sure you’re buying in solid cities or neighborhoods that will continue to attract renters.

It's good that you are interested in Minneapolis since around 2/3 of all 2-4 unit transactions in the twin cities are in Minneapolis.If you want to meet other investors I recommend in-person meetups.