Pros: Diverse job market, low unemployment, great resilience during recessions, nice appreciation, 1% rule can be hit if you look hard enough, great economy, good schools, Midwest nice.Cons: Extreme weather at times (hot/humid summers, tornadoes/hail, brutal cold in Jan/Feb), high insurance premiums, property taxes also really high.

Start small with simple rehab projects like painting or landscaping to boost value without overextending.

This is typically parking, detention pond and landscaping.

Fences, basic landscaping, tree removal can put some nice padding into your margins as well. 

I was just the RE Broker on the townhouse project had nothing to do with the deal between the investor and the developer ( they had 4 or 5 other deals going at the time) But on this one the Investor sued and he sued ALL of us.. including most of the subs that worked on the project the developers staff  Myself  The guy who put the pilings in for the Peir in the lake the landscapers the janitorial folks I mean everyone..

The numbers seem promising on paper, but I’m hoping to gather insights from locals or experienced investors who know the area well before moving forward.One thing that has caught my attention is the rental landscape.

ON my latest subdivision I built we have a 15 foot right of way for the major sewer line on one lot and we let the owners know that they may want to do just light landscaping or just bark dust it/ or out east I guess its pine straw. 

You actually have a pretty solid setup with your diverse degrees plus the one alumni so there's something there.

Listing photos were terrible, tenant vetting was lackadaisical, checks were sent to wrong addresses, tennants weren't properly vetted, charges for "mulch" and landscaping were charged but never physically carried out.

Or call some landscape companies and schedule them .