My partner and I have a couple projects going on at the moment in the Cleveland market, but currently don't have someone to take legit pictures or shoot video of the whole process (I like to have good before/afters to keep track of what we've done and attract investors). 

As time goes buy, that first multi-unit purchase becomes more and more attractive/profitable.  

Find your niche where there is little or no competition.A couple of years ago, Bill Gully (I tried to use the @  symbol but he didn't come up) suggested in this forum that there were more than enough notes to buy in your own area.

Newer inventory like attractive locations will bring more ROI due to having your inventory close to where everyone works in small town Athens TN

for purposes of determining "attractiveness" I'm assuming money shoved into ETFs makes ~6%/year (inflation adjusted) and is significantly less hassle.

@Torin MurphinAll Buckeye needs is a "cool factor" to attract people there.

People are attracted to the area during every season and there are a few large festivals that bring large crowds.The restaurant and brewery industry have a solid foundation here which attract people.

No fees was the biggest attraction. 

Your best bet is to buy a rowhouse, or condo if you can't afford a rowhouse, in an attractive part of the district and rent it out by the room.

However as the markets for rentals in California started to become less and less attractive (CAP rates below 6) I started to transition to flips to build up cash and reduce my long-term exposure to buy/holds that might not make as much sense if the rental markets turn and rates move up.