I think the biggest factor to determine which route to take is how much money do you have to start with and how much do you want your investments to be worth over some set period of time (i.e. 10 years, 20 years, etc).If you're starting with 100k and getting 10 to 12% return, you're making 10k to 12k a year?

But don't forget to factor for future appreciation...if you (or your Realtor) strongly believe that this area/house will double in value within 5 years, then that is a different animal.....

Depending on the state would be a huge deciding factor in how your entity is set up.

Also, one of the biggest factors in looking at comparables is the finishes of the properties.

Consider factors like neighborhood, school districts, and proximity to amenities.Financing and Mortgage Considerations:Investment Property Mortgage: Understand that an investment property mortgage may have higher interest rates and require a larger down payment compared to a primary residence mortgage.Future Refinance: Consider the possibility of refinancing the property when you decide to move in, potentially lowering your interest rate and monthly payments.Loan Types: Look into loan types that might offer favorable terms for investment properties, such as conventional loans or FHA loans if the property meets the criteria.Rental Management:Long-Term vs.

These options vary state by state.For fix and flip loans, lenders generally want the combination of the purchase price and the rehab budget to be over $100K while also factoring in a 10-20% down payment from the buyer. 

Id guess a current appraisal would be somewhere 150-170k depending on how nice the units are cleaned up.I know I am not factoring in appreciation, the plan was to purchase in cash have decent cash flow as a better means to invest money that was not doing much.

Because of the stability and growth those markets have been showing but also both markets are close to my home which is an important factor to me

It literally will widen the quality:quantity ratio and given funds are always finite, the opportunity cost should always be factored with quality in mind. 

Economic Factors: How do you think  economic conditions will impact our market?