On the flip side, having more choice in location with an existing product could be advantageous to both his personal life and the earnings potential; add in the second unit having the potential of being a STR/MTR and location becomes even more important.The contract/permit side CAN be challenging location by location; assuming he's working with someone who knows what they're doing, Raleigh makes it easier to get permits for these larger "small scale" projects than Durham.

For me, it's less about leaving the larger platforms, and more about creating additional relationships that could lead to bookings.

Thank youColumbus is a standout choice in Ohio.

Its appeal as a desirable coastal city helps maintain rental demand.Fort Walton Beach: Located in the Panhandle, Fort Walton Beach and its surrounding areas offer a mix of steady rental demand and affordability, providing good cash flow opportunities, especially for single-family rentals.Pensacola: This city offers relatively high rental yields due to its affordable property prices and stable rental demand, making it a solid choice for cash flow-focused investments.These areas balance stable cash flow with potential for modest appreciation.

In my state, owning an LLC is quite expensive (800/year), so the risk/reward calculation is a little more skewed, but still generally makes sense for larger MFR deals.The debate really heats up if you're talking about residential class (1-4 units) as there are material advantages to owning under your personal name.

Investing out of state offers lower costs, higher cash flow, and larger portfolios, but challenges with remote property management.

I've read that buying a 2dr is always the better choice for a condo, but am concerned about the older condo losing value faster than the nicer 1 bdr, since it's newer? 

We can talk about the benefits of code compliance forever but, I gave extra latitude to an owner making his choices.

In my experience, smaller cabins perform better than the larger ones.

That was a choice that only you can make.