Hopefully the BP community has some suggestions for us!

I'd normally also suggest Marshall, Black Mountain, and Old Fort, but many of these towns were heavily impacted by Helene.

A friend of mine suggested that I consider beginning to invest in small multifamily in Belleville, IL market.

I’m not sure how investors are managing their properties from a different state when it seems to be impossible to find a reliable good property management company in Cahokia, do you have any advice or suggestions on this?  

So that’s what I’ll do as you suggested.

However, just to set expectations, they most likely won’t make any changes unless there’s a clear error in the valuation.That said, since the $1,000 increase works out to about $83 per month, I’d suggest checking what the market rents are in your area.

I would suggest a good PM to start if you don't have a solid background in hospitality or at least something in the service industry.Self-managing can save a ton of money if you know what you are doing. 

I'd suggest making sure to get a good GC/construction company for repairs.

My suggestion would be to manage it yourself for 1-2 years, then as you acquire more rental properties, you can start using a PM. 

If you're getting started, I'd suggest focusing on single-family homes in growth areas with strong population trends—let me know if you need help finding the right deal!