There's some excellent relevant & recent material from very high quality individuals on this forum.

Personally I prefer homes around that median price because that's where the most demand will be not only for owner occupants but renters as well.

If there is a choice to be made, it comes down to what an investor "likes" or prefers about one over the other? 

Dundalk I would prefer compared to Essex as it's closer to the city. 

My market is San Diego so I do not have direct referral for a GC in north Hollywood but I will say my preferred way to get contractors is direct referral.

For individuals with full-time jobs in other industries, meeting this threshold is challenging unless real estate is a substantial focus outside regular employment.

I’ve been around real estate for decades, and I read in The Economist once that in lively markets like Charlotte, folks will pay a premium for a comfortable room if you’re near major employers.A friend of mine tried something similar out in Austin a while back.. he’d inherited a 4-bedroom property and split it into individual room rentals.

I prefer building my own spreadsheet on Excel and fine-tuning the specific expenses myself.

Everyone else I prefer they keep renting 😝

After reading so many intros of young, single, eager individuals, I'm hoping I'm not too late to the game!