Akron is a very blue city and are not very landlord friendly - source of income protections, etc... 

Well, don't rule out HML.

Thanks in advance, I've learnt a lot from your posts as well as the Bigger Pockets podcast and look forward to learning more.  

I live in LA, and have a rental here as well.

To invest out of state successfully, focus on building a strong local team (agent, PM, contractors), automating deal analysis, and using contingencies to protect yourself.

My extended family has done very well (10s of millions of dollars in equity growth over the years) with real estate in that area. 

Definitely a "citation needed" statistic right there well I noticed she is from Western Australia ( Maybe Perth) and I know there has been a ton of wealth created in OZZIE land through RE  no doubt..

My uncle has done 84 percent for the last 14 consecutive years (these numbers can be proven  and have been well documented) .

I am on my first BRRRR and the issue is lenders keep only wanting to lend on 80% of the purchase price and not the actual appraised value, which would keep my money tied up on the rehab portion as well as 20% of the purchase price.

I'm starting to lean towards buying B or better properties, which don't cash flow as well in the beginning, but will have better long term appreciation and attract better tenants.