North Carolina has a standard lease agreement form that is very robust.

Robust job market: The city of Columbus boasts a diversified economy and many major employers in fields such as education, healthcare, and technology, which contributes to a constant need for housing.

Tampa Bay has experienced a robust real estate market in recent years.

They afford the tranquility and robustness of suburbia life, without the DC madness.

Nothing like a young man, real estate, late nights and alcohol!

Unfortunately, most association boards do not fully understand the budgeting process and do not maintain sufficient funds for the long term.If you are looking for an entry level investment, I would suggest either a townhouse or single family home that might need some minor work that you could do yourself, or join with some friends to create a larger fund to acquire a more robust property.

Also, the rental market for the $250k and up segment isn't nearly as robust as sub-$200k, generally speaking.Perhaps, consider finding another investor to partner with on a few flips, to build up your available cash to somewhere in the $100-150k range.

This will keep both grants robust and sales prices increasing.

If you are a hard worker, can help others, and are open to learning, your best bet is to find a bigger brokerage with robust training and with teams in the marketplace.

I always like to rely on factual data, so for questions #1 and #2, I can tell if you invest in the "sunbelt states" of Arizona, Texas, Florida, you are in very robust markets - see the chart below that combines population growth/migration with rent growth... then, if you have reservations on investing long-distance, research on multifamily syndications.