The ability to effectively self manage would depend on the scale you are trying to buy. 

I love the Myrtle Beach area.Condos are a dime a dozen so there is stiff competition which pushes prices down.HOAs have their own problems which I always avoid.I would try and buy a beachfront house or 1st row house 

I was living abroad buying/selling real estate mostly land, and some land with structures.

I'm done buying inflated NNN rents at 6-7% caps. 

Who talked you into buying the Costa Mesa condo? 

So if you make you buy box too tight, you will find very few deals that will fit your buy criteria. 

The process of buying, rehabbing, and stabilizing a property remains the same whether it's a duplex or a 50-unit building, but the upside is greater at scale.

Hello Frank, I think house hacking a small multifamily property that you buy with a low downpayment is one o the best and lowest risk strategies that you can get started with.

Great points, ZharaBirmingham has relatively steady and diverse rental demand, and I’ve seen many investors I work with have success with C/B class buy-and-holds.Location is key—areas near UAB, major employers, and popular suburbs tend to have the strongest rental demand, while C/D class markets offer solid affordable housing and Section 8 opportunities.

I gravitate towards "red states" given the landlord-friendly laws and relative ease of evictions, which unfortunately are unavoidable in the buy and hold game.