I’m also a soft wood lumber salesman for the east TN region supplying 2 x materials and other boards from the southeast.

My name is Brendan and I'm a new investor/realtor in southeast Idaho.

When I started my current search, I looked at population and employment trends for SMAs in the Midwest and southeast, selecting about 20 that had attractive growth in both. 

Stick with major metro areas in the southeast.  

Several months ago I was astounded by the number of for sale signs throughout Southeast Michigan.

Hey All,I work with about 40 plus banks that we buy direct from the asset managers here in the south east.

Duplexes are a little easier to come by with these we tend to focus on areas where the land is cheap and the rents are high. these markets include Jacksonville, Palm Coast, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, and Lehigh Acres. all these markets are growing rapidly and are currently more affordable than areas like Tapa Orlando or southeast Florida (West Palm - Miami) where property prices are too high for the numbers to work for most investors.

There are a few areas to pick up houses under 100K - Third Ward, Southeast Houston, and a number of areas.

Imran, an idea for you … you stated that you are a new investor, perhaps you should consider teaming (partnering) with other in our area (Southeast Florida) for a few initial investments then when you fell you can do-it alone, do so! 

Being from the South East, we do a lot of beach vacations.