@Sean Tagge  100% gurantee that your UTAH properties will out perform ANY 20 to 40K  major mid west market properties. you simply will get killed in turn over trashed units and uncollected rent.. these are ghetto war zone dogs..

My Vallejo houses outperform the Sacramento houses on a portfolio basis.

Outperforming the other guy; assuming that you are smarter and better seems to be key today.  

While SFD's are an easy first time investment, I find with buy and hold strategies that my multi-family properties (duplexes, 9 plexes and mobile home parks) far outperform my SFD's over time AND the commercial properties don't count towards the Fannie Mae 10 property maximum that can stop you dead in your tracks when trying to obtain optimal financing terms (lower interest rates, etc).

I.e if you are in a place with long, cold winters and where the norm is to construct {residential} properties with full basements, then an uninsulated, yet conditioned, basement could be the source of 20+% of your heat loss.Dustin - a 3.5" air gap may be reasonable in Kansas (if you wall assembly was air tight ... even then I am doubtful) - however, it does nothing about the 12 - 15% of your wall that is framing and a thermal bridge.When it comes to windows, there are advantages to triple glazing and inert gases (though they do eventually normalize with the atmosphere) ... however a well-built double glazed window with an insulated frame will match, or out perform a triple glazed window with your run-of-the-mill aluminium or vinyl frame.   

Also our duplexes have appreciated faster than our single family houses while outperforming on cash flow.  

Neither list will outperform the other unless and until you reach a seller motivated by self interest.

My experience with my own money is that my 401k with very limited Mutual fund investment options out performed my own stock picks by a big margin and always has.

I've been seeing those rates out perform DSCR rates as of late.

I hear ya although when you look at total returns (cash flow plus equity) CA typically outperforms OOS.