Seems like you have learned certain concepts that work but tend to escape even the most experienced landlords.

Memphis has a pretty affordable housing market and tends to offer solid rental yields, which might align well with your goals.

Disclaimer: I'm probably biased because I've lived in Indianapolis for the last 5 years :)If you're set on BRRRR, I'd recommend higher-quality neighborhoods in suburbs of Indy like Zionsville, Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville -- they tend to attract higher-quality residents have less crime, and have less surprises than some of the 60-100 yr old homes inside the I-465 loop. 

The more affordable price points with foreclosures the less the discount tends to be. 

However in the future because  of how these things tend to go, I would not have called insurance or a remediation company, I would have just fixed it immediately before it got too bad then warned the tenant not to do it again (and to be fair to them it’s odd that simply hanging a picture would cause a major plumbing leak, the likelihood of that happening is so low) and moved on.

The countries in the East where this is also true tend to be more cozy with the US than they are with China. 

Being from Chicago, I'd tend to agree with you @Craig Jones those areas of Wisconson and & Michigan are driveable from a lot of those metro areas you mentioned, but I think the toughest part of any northern short term rental is the seasonaility. 

Maybe, but It is most likely just a fishing post from an inexperienced investor, to add to their list of deal suppliers.

The quick good/bad of Section 8:- S8 tenants tend to be rougher on the property (but not always)- Paperwork/inspections/etc. can be burdensome and tough to navigate (especially initially)- People often think FMR rates are guarantee rental rates but that's not the case- Usually the rent isn't 100% subsidized and a lot of people don't realize this- S8 tenants tend to stay a lot longer than cash tenants- Obviously, the guaranteed rent portionOverall, I'm neutral on the program.

Of course, with all things, the answers to all these matters will depend on the circumstances.California tends to have more laws on the books and requirements and restrictions that it can be a good idea to form a CA LLC for out of state property so that you as a CA resident are covered, and to try to have your contracts fall under the purview of CA courts.