You'll have more control, more market knowledge, better contacts, and more confidence in your investments if it is local or within a couple hours driving distance.If you're looking for a cheaper market, consider Milwaukee, Indianapolis, or maybe a smaller market like Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington-Normal, Quad Cities, Madison, South Bend, Fort Wayne, etc. that is a closer drive.

It's annoying that even though I'm an Advantage customer on my personal accounts, that isn't enough for them to bend on those fees for my biz checking account.

I live outside of South Bend Indiana which has a pretty high crime rate but it is the largest city in the county. 

This will save your back so you don't have to bend down to the ground.

For anyone who has screened a tenant and seen the outcome, where would you bend the rules to get a tenant in the house?

I know that cuts down on my pool greatly, but I just can't bend on that.  

My criteria for income, credit, and criminal background are quite reasonable for the area I operate in, and I am not willing to bend them.

In my South Bend 20 unit, I use only the cheap mailboxes with no lock. 

There would be multiple bends in the lines as a result, any concern there?

I'm not unwillingly to bend the rules but I don't want to get into a situation where I'm stuck with a tenant I never agreed to in the first place.