im located in MA and am investing in chicago for the cashflow. the worst deal there looks amazing to me through the lens of a MA girl hahaha. i was very resistant to going long distance, but am so happy i did. i had also looked into those cities you listed, but the partner i was buying this last one with was ultimately most comfortable with chicago as she travels there for work sometimes. one thing to just keep in mind is that it's the c/d areas that look best on paper anywhere, and look AMAZING in those cities, but you have to factor in increased volatility due to nonpayment, late payments, etc.

I know stocks would get me a much better return, but i'm also looking for a relative safe place that isn't so volatile for the next 8 to 12 months.What is your go to for situations like this?

Given the recent market volatility, are people that used asset backed LoCs getting wiped out now?

I understand that these add to risk:Not understanding your niche Not having a solid team Buying bad deals Lacking the general education needed to succeed in this fieldLacking self confidence and hope for a prosperous future But what I truly do not understand and feel that I cannot prepare for is market volatility. 

Beta is a measure of volatility and one component of risk.  

@Philip Arthurs - The short term rental strategy is so new that most investors do not have confidence in the cash flow volatility that comes with short term rentals.

.- Toronto, Vancouver, and Seattle are bubbles that will eventually burst and could cause temporary volatility in their respective regions.- US housing prices projected to continue upward trend overall until 2029.

In my opinion, AirBNB is too volatile of a market in terms of future possible regulations by city, county, state and even federal government.

Whatever has volatility and good setups for me.

If you refi all your cash out of the deal, you get infinite returns, whereas you would get a 6-12% cash on cash, plus whatever equity you left in the property (but you would also run out of money eventually).Just remember, high leverage cuts both ways with volatility.