If you stay in Northern Minnesota you could look to locate closer to Duluth which has a large supply of duplexes at prices much below $500K.

Even if you aren't into creative finance, stay away from rough neighborhoods.

It seems you and your husband have the ability to make a property more desirable and I would try to stay local for the same reasons you listed. 

At the time of purchase, I knew I might not want to stay indefinitely and at some point to might convert the home to a rental property.

On the other hand, I’ve also considered staying in South Jersey.

@Jithu JoySince the website is basically no longer there I would say stay away…

There are a lot of quirks and oddities in Louisiana law where the current tenant can assert that they have an implied agreement that they can pay late, stay X months without a lease, do whatever action, etc, based on what the current landlord/owner has allowed and told them in the past.

And don’t overthink—your first deal doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to get you in the game.You’ve already taken a big step by asking for guidance, so keep that curiosity alive and stay consistent —let’s crush it!

I generally stay out of politics, but I’m interested in hearing investors' perspectives.

They sell you a package to enter and then find you people to stay and never paid you back!