If you stay in Northern Minnesota you could look to locate closer to Duluth which has a large supply of duplexes at prices much below $500K.

Purchase price: $1,200,000 This is a 100+ pad community located near Downtown Bloomington (Near Indiana University).

It was the worst house in the best location. 5 acres just above a lake outside of a desired town.

I like Dundalk because of it's location (easy to get south and 20 minutes away from shopping areas.Any advice on this area?

Otherwise its all about the classic location location location.

Quote from @Kornelius Friske: We have a STR located in peoria AZ. it's 6 beds (garage conversion) and about 3900 sq ft in total. our energy bill last month was $450 and has been hovering in the $350-$450 range since we went live in august.

So Augusta, GA is one of the locations that has been on the top of my list.  

My top locations for luxury Oregon Coast Real Estate Investment, estates and ranches are: - Brookings, Gold Beach and Bandon - One of the few stretches beyond Big Sur that you can actually drive along the Pacific Coast Highway at altitude.

Also keep in mind the location.

My experience in Massachusetts, where it took nearly a year to evict a non-paying tenant, has made me more selective about the locations I invest in.I am looking forward to learning and sharing insights with this community!