Good potential for appreciation/rent growth upside as well in the next 5-10 years in my opinion with the market still being one of the most affordable in the country.

Fortunately for me, I started investing a time in the market where everything went up.  

@Todd Anderson totally agree on finding a mentor in the market to learn from.

Your “don’t evict strategy” could only make sense in a market that literally hates landlords.

Use a buyer's agent that knows the market, contracts, negotiations, etc.If you really want to learn about investing, get a job in property management. 

Then the turnkey operator sells the property at the market value to the investor who pays market price of around $200,000.

Campus housing has been under tremendous headwinds for the last 4 years.These properties were sold with extremely aggressively optimistic projections, as well as a price that represented a significant premium to fair market value.So sorry to hear about your investment.

From my experience, cities like Greenville, Columbia, Augusta, Huntsville, Chattanooga, and Jacksonville offer strong house-hacking opportunities with growing job markets, solid rental demand, and affordable multi-family options.

Until the lease ends and then the legal notice time in your market has passed.

While @Phillip Austin mentioned Raleigh is a higher returns its just very much a appreciation market, you will not find rentals that cashflow, so depending on your goals its a good or bad market.