I think if you can nail that down you will be able to find a market easier.As a buy and hold investor some of the things that were important to me when deciding on a market were landlord tenant laws, price to rent ratio, housing demand, ability to build a team, large population 500K plus, multi-family availability and some other factors.take the process step by step and you will be fine. 

Off-market deals are key if you go this route, so networking is huge.Out-of-state investing is another option people love, especially in markets like PA (Philly, Scranton) or even down south where prices are lower, and the landlord-tenant laws are more forgiving.

From what I can see around here it is a landlord friendly state so when you turn your prop into a rental you should do well as long as the numbers are good.Acquisition is all about entry price.

A good landlord understands that vacancies & Rent-Ready costs will destroy your cashflow and profits.

I also don't want to focus on one market, and not be able to score the right property for who knows how long, and then end up missing out on other locations, as being a long distance land lord is very popular as well.

Another huge thing to consider is laws and regulations, many times new investors will jump at Hudson county thinking the proximity to NYC is great for renting (which it is) but many of the municipalities in Hudson county have very strict landlord laws. 

@Zach HowardThere is no legal requirement for landlords to actually witness lease violations firsthand.

Title VICIVIL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Chapter 83 LANDLORD AND TENANT View Entire Chapter 83.49 Deposit money or advance rent; duty of landlord and tenant.—(1) Whenever money is deposited or advanced by a tenant on a rental agreement as security for performance of the rental agreement or as advance rent for other than the next immediate rental period, the landlord or the landlord’s agent shall either:(a) Hold the total amount of such money in a separate non-interest-bearing account in a Florida banking institution for the benefit of the tenant or tenants.

What does the past landlords say?

When I was in college, my landlord would just walk into the house uninvited without even knocking.