But even in those instances there is still this black cloud that causes potential worry in the buyer's mind.

I work with a bunch of investors who try to reduce it to the numbers and while this works for the most part to hone in from a 30K foot view, once you get under the clouds it tends to be a little bit of black magic involved regardless of the market.  

Personally, I recommend Cape Coral.

Definitely.Trying to go OOS for your first REI deal is a bit like trying to surf a monster 100 foot wave before you've learned to swim, or trying to ski a double black diamond for your very first run. 

There are plenty of threads on this forum regarding better insurance vs LLCs and the best path is not black and white.

(And another one, Orlando, was very close.)Look at North Port-Sarasota and Cape Coral-Fort Myers: active inventory is ~20% above pre-pandemic levels and prices rose >60% during the pandemic.

The husband I have in mind is African American; the wife is black as well; their 2 yr old baby isn't mixed; the ID emailed to us is of a white guy.

Quote from @Aidan Black: Quote from @Kiernan LaFaver: Welcome to the community!

Hocking Hils, Ohio, Black Hills of South Dakota and pretty much anywhere around a national park out west.

I am investing in North Dakota (2 long-term rentals) and the Black Hills in South Dakota ( 1 STR).