The laws are ridiculously biased against landlords and you can expect to eat it bad if you have to do an eviction.

As for ARV, my biased opinion is to find an agent willing to do CMAs for you. 

I may be biased because I do work for a GC however, I have witnessed countless times customers buying their own material and then it being incorrect which ultimately ends up costing more in the long run with schedule and material.  

I might be biased because I think my property management company does a great job, but reputable management companies with a track record of taking over properties, renovating them and renting them out is your best bet - especially for a newbie.

Although I'm a little biased towards episodes #28 and #273 ;)No but really, the podcasts are a great place to start as well as the Books Section.

Research the Fair Housing Practices (Race, gender, Ethnicity, Religion, Rental Class, Etc) in your state website. 

@Jacob Trimble Weighing all options without bias toward one or the other is key. 

So rather than having a bias to or away from any sector just look at where returns are now and invest there. 

I'm going to be honest, my recommendation on where to invest out of state is super biased.

However, as BP is a sharing space some of you may be open to it – and it would certainly go a long way to making me (and probably others) open to investing in those neighborhoods.I think it would be great if you could filter down to a given zip code (37127, Frayser, in this case) and provide the following information: Zip Code: 37127Time Period (please filter your results for a three year time period, if possible, otherwise please state the period of time used)Number of Properties Currently Under Management (if possible, please remove any of the properties owned by you to remove any bias; also, include properties that were held in your management for any period during this time – not just those that were held the full period)Total Potential Monthly Rent (the value of rent that would have been brought in if there was no vacancy)Total Contracted Monthly RentTotal Rents ReceivedTotal Late Fees AssessedTotal Late Fees ReceivedTotal Deposits Collected (initially provided by tenant)Total Amount of Deposits Retained (not returned to tenant due to damages, etc.)Total Maintenance/Repairs/Make Ready/Expenses PaidTotal Number of EvictionsI’ll leave out Cost of Evictions, Utilities, Property Management Expenses, Property Insurance, financing, and Property Taxes as these may vary widely per property and may not be paid through the Property Management Company.