The home I put an offer on was in Lodi NJ which was a bit of a compromise for me in terms of the town I would like to be in, I would ideally like to stay away from more urban areas such as Paterson, Newark, elizabeth, etc.  

I also see lifestyle inflation and a massive consumption mentality that further compromises any ability to save or invest adequately.  

Never compromise your investment criteria for these types of risky deals.

Might be a good compromise.  

Overall "North Dallas" and Texas in general are pretty safe.Im thinking you'll have to compromise on something on your list.

I had the same issue but gradually came to the realization that there had to be some compromises when you're talking about an $800/mo apartment!

In some markets you have to compromise some "wants" to make sure you get your "needs."

Although we made a little (~$5,500), it was pure stress and we learned never to compromise on certain issues.

A local quirk is that in Ontario the landlord is entitled to hold last month's rent deposit but the tenant is under no obligation to pay it once they move in, which reaffirms the necessity of collecting all move in monies at the outset without any compromise.

Maybe, but it would require a lot more searching, work, and probably some compromises, etc.In other words, yes, but you should run the numbers to understand your expected payment in the end.