But it is always better to buy than rent in my opinion, so I bought the best investment I could find based on my knowledge at the time.Sorry for the long-winded response!

Many BP members rely on myself and a number of others to use our knowledge, experience and analytical ability and provide our analysis of the programs being offered on this site.  

A knowledgeable investor might see a beautiful opportunity hiding under a worn facade. 

I am an advocate for Philadelphia, particularly for those like yourself who are local to the area with knowledge of the city.

I feel like I have a strong grasp of the general knowledge needed for a first property, but I’d love to hear something different.

If you are looking for proper guidance from someone that has house hacked quite a few times and has the knowledge and experience to help get you going in the right direction, I recommend reaching out to @Josh Green.

Last thing, I would strongly consider consulting with a knowledgeable property manager or attorney once you have a copy of the current lease and all of the facts.

I am considering getting into this space (looking at some courses), but worried that its too late, and that deep local market knowledge/understanding of buyers/connection with developers etc is required to make this work, which only incumbent/long term investors will have and would be hard for a new entrant starting from scratch to catch-up...is my hypothesis valid in your opinion ?

They are knowledgable in their space, but I find them on the pricey side.

Reason: I signed a new job offer at a nonprofit yesterday and having extensive knowledge of the real-estate market in Philly would be very helpful.