If you do indeed end up closing on the property, you're going to have a couple of years of working your a$$ off to make extra money and not spending on anything that is not food, housing, or transportation.

If yes, what are some quality neighborhoods (low crime rate, higher avg. house hold income, proximity to public transport etc.) you recommend investigating?

Investments in mixed-use development, office buildings, and residential areas have attracted more residents and businesses, positively impacting the real estate market.Strategic Location and Infrastructure:The strategic location of the Lehigh Valley, bolstered by infrastructure like the Lehigh Valley International Airport, makes it a hub for transportation and logistics.

@Kyler J Sloan also if you buy use your will prob have to transport it which is not that easy with hot tubs. 

., 529, spousal IRA, transportation, healthcare FSA, childcare, etc.

When world events begin driving the cost of oil up, it has a devastating effect on our economy, driving up the costs of everything transported or manufactured, and it will hurt every sector of the economy.

Northern cities like Cleveland that heavily relied on its geographic location for transporting goods are relatively flatlining in terms of population growth, while Texas, Florida, Arizona, and others are booming.The bottom line is that while real estate on a whole will follow inflation rates, individual properties can significantly underperform or outperform the average inflation rate. 

@Erin Estes you have good ideals but if you applied your logic to other commodities then the residents of AZ will not be getting too far without the transportation fuels shipped from other states.

I got a full insiders tour of the Oil patch or Oil sands.. it was way cool.. got to ride in those huge dump trucks sit in the excavating machine that scoops unbelievable amount of material per scoop only thing bigger that moves I think Is the transport machine for the Saturn rockets.the mines were open pit about 5 miles across with vernicle wall 150 feet or so.. and you could see the black tar lines... running through it.. but its really pretty basic they take the sand dump it in a HUGE centrifuge mix in some ( probably pretty nasty chem's ) and out comes the oil sludge that goes into the pipeline to be taken to refineries.

Section 8 has housing inspection to prevent such things.Also, proximity to the public transportation is no guarantee that the area will pick up.