With that being said I have expanded my search and have been looking in Omaha, NE.

We also have our own website with some SEO setup and we get people that find our website through a Google search and reach out direct too.

We also put a little bit of effort into SEO so that it would come up in searches for corporate or midterm housing in our pretty small market.

Buy the worst house in a great neighborhood and fix up.  

The key is really focusing on the right neighborhoods, knowing your numbers, and being patient for the right opportunities.As for the fix-and-flip market, the lower entry costs can definitely make it a great place to start, but you've got to be mindful of renovation budgets and timelines.

There is a story to every pocket of every neighborhood that locals will know, but you may not, if investing out of state or in a market you don't know.

Talk to some of the Realtors in the city and ask them to define where the neighborhoods are and which neighborhoods they think are best.

Quote from @Donald Hatter: Pros:- Builders have many homes to sell at one time so it is easier to negotiate a better deal than with a home owner in the same neighborhood who is trying to sell their primary residence - Buyers bust out of deals all the time and builders don't like holding completed homes- Lower maintenance which leads to easier property management expenses.  

@Tak OgiharaIf you do a search, you'll find out that there are quite a bit of us investing in Tulum, Mexico and Costa Rica on here.

Maybe your situation is different and if you don’t feel comfortable in the neighborhood then this may be a moot point anyway.As for FHA, my understanding is that you must intend to live in the house for a year  it sounds like you did intend to, but due to unexpected circumstances- lead exposure and unexpected unsafe neighborhood- you have to move.