I live overseas and don't have ready access to a local market to research, understand, and invest on my own.

This development, spanning nearly 6 square miles, promises to create thousands of jobs, generate economic activity, and transform the local economy.

I write "competition" in quotes because I collaborate with my local "competition" instead of competing with them - common among MTR operators.

We took the reverse action and started lowering asking rents until they moved.I suspect the reason that one property of yours turned quickly is because your asking rent was very favorable vs. local competition. 

https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2023-05-26/supreme-court-ruling-on-municipal-foreclosures-will-preserve-equity-for-massachusetts-homeowners thank you will give it a a read appreciate it.!!

Only five of the qualifying 25 local cities saw a population decrease, topped by Bee Cave (-2.7%).

That is a great place to start, as well as hitting some local real estate investor meetups so you can meet some other house hackers in person who have done what you want to do.

Have you done any research on purchasing property locally?

Investing locally in the Bay Area will come with higher acquisition costs, but appreciation can still build wealth long term, so don't be weary if you're property doesn't cash flow right now the bat.

You will also need to check your local laws for any strict laws that may make running an Airbnb hard.