I've gotten deals and formed partnerships through some very unorthodox connections over the years.To answer your question, it will always depend on the specifics of the deal in front of me but in general I'd still prefer value-add.

That means that not only are they resourceful, their dialogue is effective, informative and useful in you making your decisions.You evidently haven't found someone with the level of expertise you'd prefer. 

I have always preferred to stay in the areas I know and that are within a reasonable driving distance for me 90ish minutes from my home.

Prefer seller financing which works a LOT better.

Private lenders, like who I work with, prefer to lend to properties held under an LLC. 

Someone mentioned wanting to be within driving distance of a property, but I actually prefer not to be close.

Break evens under 4 yrs are generally a safe bet, but I prefer between 2 and 3 years.

So I prefer to have more of that in the deal.

It's my preferred method...

I'd prefer to buy SFH instead of condo, but you'll need to be ready to put some sweat equity into the SFH. if I had to give you an answer today, I would advise you keep renting and put your cash into a mix of securities and bonds to compound your saving.