As a result I've sort of giving up on the dream. 

I was thinking that if Memphis (and the sort) have cash flow but no appreciation...

For those that have yet to do this, it takes less than 10 minutes if you are a single member llc - just make sure to have a copy of some sort of identification. we did all of ours .. and our attorney contacted us as well and let us know to get them done or he would do them for us. 

For example, I started investing in Buffalo (NY) a few years ago because I liked the stable population statistic along with the fact that a big chunk of the population is in the healthcare industry... along with major car manufacturers having plants or some sort of manufacturing factory there (Tesla, GM, etc.) 

@Pat Aboukhalen was the agent there sorting it all out for him there after his previous agent missed it - so if you don' already have an investor-friendly agent there that's who I would use. 

His office sent everything via email without any password controls or anything of that sort.

I can only think that this grows as we move into the typical buy/sell season.I assume that your buyer funnel is full, and a lot of people have the want to buy with a constraint or two (rate mostly) of some sorts and you're working with them to execute their purchase at the right time while working around their constraint.

You might also meet title agents who have resources on, say, foreclosures or probates…and might recommend lenders who actually lend on more difficult projects (as the title companies also know which lenders can close and which are difficult).I also go visit open houses to see what sorts of finish to put on my renovations or to look for the next house or area in which to purchase.  

If they were married, I'd think it would be more of a conversation about their future, but I can understand that if you are only with someone for 1-2 years they might not be willing to pack everything up and follow you on your real estate journey right away.Any thoughts or ideas to help us sort through the weeds on how to go about finding a house hack with these constraints? 

Have you thought about trying to do a sub-to or any sort of partnership to do a BRRRR.