You can list all the reasons why you charge $250 for a one-time shoveling, but nobody will care when there are other vendors doing the exact same job for $100 or less.I'm in a city of 10,000.

Buy in a market not too far away, 30 to 1 hr from a decent city center where values are reasonable and a city push out with help your rent and appreciation. 

An analysis of the data also shows that the city north of Austin grew 10.6% year-over-year, making it the fastest-growing city of at least 50,000 people.

West Valley cities like Buckeye and Avondale, East Valley spots like Apache Junction and Mesa, or growing areas like Casa Grande and Maricopa are worth exploring.

For example, if local regulations require energy-efficient upgrades, prioritize these changes to avoid fines and demonstrate your commitment to sustainable practices.Case Study: In 2020, many cities introduced rent control measures.

Stick built homes on city lots are going to be expensive. 

I’d stick to Franklin, Clayton, Westminster, hayesville, Bryson city

Co-living I like a bit more because you have less money needed for furnishing a property and CO laws allow it in the major cities unlike STRs.

While 2/2s are better 3/1 are more desirable because of the heavy section market in the city. 

What I'm trying to say is that going up to 1.5-2 hours outside of even the biggest cities, there are pockets of affordable towns/cities with at least positive cash flow (although its never been harder to find than right now, I've been waiting for 3 years for the market to make sense before buying again).