Bristol - Bristol Motor speedway, NHRA Drag races and now Pinnacle retail market (border city with VA)JC - ETSU (med school, pharmacy school and source for talent), Regional Medical center and newly formed Ballad HealthKingsport (KPT) - Eastman chemicals, also a VA border town and gateway to lower income AppalachiaThings you wont find on the Internet, include the smell of the chemical plant in KPT, and recent fire and community scares related to plant activity.

So it can be an easy gateway into real estate investing. 

As a new real estate sales agent years ago after leaving corporate America seeking my own business, I learned very quickly how antiquated the business was AND still is, which has everything to do with emotional intelligence & path to least resistance thinking, called greed.When negotiations are taking place, whether I represent the buyer or seller, I always - 100% of the time, vet the agent on the other side because that is the gateway to success.

Numerous properties in this area have been renovated and the area is growing on many fronts.Some of the pros for this area are listed below: The new Jersey City Medical Center which constantly has medical residents in need of housingThe close proximity to the Path train which has been our gateway to New York City and due to this many ex-New York residents relocated to downtown Jersey in search of lower rentsThe area is one of the safest location in the cityA growing numbers of businesses such as restaurants/cafes and entertainmentTerri S.

Some of the biggest incentives are in cities called “gateway cities”!

It is an area with over 300 days on sunshine per year, gateway to MANY National/State parks and 40 miles from Gambling or 100 miles to Vegas for fun.

I've used (or still using) the following: Recurly, CheddarGetter, PayPal, Bill.com, six different processors / merchant accounts + Authorize.net / NMI for gateways, and Stripe.The absolute worst is collecting checks.

There is a correction coming in the gateway markets, but not a crash.

Gateway cities, which LA is one are a different category from most other markets.  

RE investment/services appears to be an excellent gateway to this pursuit and lifestyle; I've been looking down the rabbit hole and am ready to jump.