If you take the lower value areas the only reason people choose to live there is the affordability really.

I like them both, in general, but the best way to find a town to invest in outside of where you live if it's not affordable and if you don't want to be withing driving distance easily (recommended) is to make two lists:1. every town you have ever lived in or visited for more than a month2. every town your closest friends and family live (the ones you like)Then you take those two lists and see where they overlap with the data or lists you are using.

Like everyone said.Grab up @Avery Carl's first book - https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/short-term-rental-l...Then grab her next book which is available for pre-order - https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/smarter-short-term-...Seeing as you are new the STR business, these are great books to grab up and read.

My advice is focus on getting your first property: buy the worst house on the best block you can afford and fix it up to the quality of the surrounding houses to force appreciation and build equity quickly while your housemates pay most of your mortgage.

Not sure how often that happens and to the extent it does, how much individuals are receiving.Trying my best not to politicize this, but have to add that massive bailouts are going to continue to get harder to afford with the high federal debt we have today.

At the time I didn't think she could afford it but right now I'm glad she did.

If you find a lender/mortgage broker that communicates very well and in a very time efficient manner start there to see if they have a product that works.Most of the lenders we have worked with in the past we have done multiple loans with.

If you cant afford to do it right , how will you afford to do it over ? 

I can’t afford to pay him for a lousy job and stay on budget. 

Looks like you have a solid plan, compound interest will take care of the rest.Can i ask what mortgage product you intend on going with?