The downside to Stockton is that it's not as desirable area as Sacramento (obviously), so the people migrating from the Bay Area who can't afford Sacramento will be forced to pick Stockton instead.

Thus far based on browsing on loopnet.com, Tampa, Florida and Hagerstown, MA appear to have properties available that fit my budget and desired unit size (4-10 units).

Hello,My name is Serena Joyce and I'm clueless about real estate investing; but have a strong desire to learn everything there is to know about it.

What Bob said above is what most of our clients do through us.And while the desired income level varies, the goal we map out seems to be 5-7 years typically until they've met it.We have a dentist in CO we're working with to map out an aggressive 5 year strategy (starting with more liquid cash) and jumping into a few 4 unit buildings as well as SFR.  

@Tatiana Gershanovich, You mention having a big chunk of land with a house on it and the desire of separating the house from the greater portion of land.

I'm just basically looking to get out from under the loan by repaying the balance owed on the mortgage currently and being able to then move to a more desirable area for me and my family.

Now, I have no desire to do so.

It makes you a much more desirable buyer for that agent.

Getting in contact with local wholesalers could help you find some decent deals in some of those desirable neighborhoods.Best of luck to you!

You may not get landlording experience but you'll get maintenance, financing, and paperwork experience.I think the discussion points in your head and with them are around what kind of improvements they would need or desire (if you have to make it elderly accessible that could be a selling point for the next tenants, but what if they want something that will cause you more upkeep in the future?)