Otherwise I'd suggest looking into other affordable markets that have a good growth rate & other economic drivers. 

It’s a great market for long-term appreciation and growth, but it will be harder to achieve cash flow compared with how the Midland home is structured.

We are looking at B/C class neighborhoods where there are investors flipping and there is some room for growth.

Think mini pensions or rental properties that provide steady cash flow.However, if your net worth is under $4 to $5 million, you’re still in growth mode and should keep your day job.

The most popular way to speed up your real estate growth is to buy fixer-uppers, rehab them with mostly sweat equity, rent them out for significantly more than 1% of your total purchase price per month, and then refinance the property to extract as much money as possible for your next down payment.It’s doable, but you need to find the worst property on the nicest block, as this will play a significant role in your refinance discussions later.Let me know if you would like to chat more and learn about the Toledo market, which is well-suited for what you are looking to do.Best regards,Phillip DakhnovetsGuardian Property Management419-740-0370

I would rather pay a little more now to build a foundational system for growth. 

With your income and potential for growth, you're in a good spot to invest.

Austin was recently deemed one of the top "boomtowns" in the country based on a study by CoWorking Cafe ranking America's "boomtowns" based on population growth, GDP, employment rates, and other economic factorsFort Worth came in at No. 2 with 64 points, beating Austin in the report's ranking of top cities with a 500,000+ population.

1) rent growth.  

Economists:It is said that there are 4 phases of a real estate cycle: (1) RECESSION (supply greatly exceeds demand and high vacancy rate); (2) RECOVERY (rental growth remains stagnant with little signs of new construction but the economy feels like it is headed in right direction); (3) EXPANSION (job growth is strong and increased demand for housing.