Heloc’s are best utilized with a short term strategy, ie flx and flip, to BRRRR, etc.

The income amounts look to be long-term rental (which they are and came in 30% lower than what the STR average did) and 2. why did the appraiser look at homes 20 miles away to compare to when there are PLENTY of rentals in town...

Tenants are stable long term residents, and property is located in a desirable school district.

I agree with @Jonathan Greene that the question is vague, so my advice will have to be as well.The short answer: MTRs are real estate, so just like all real estate, any place that can long-term-rent cash flow with increasing jobs/population can be a suitable site to purchase. 

It was purchased from MLS as a long term buy and hold rental.

The fact that you have already owned and sold a rental property gives you a great experience to start from.In terms of the best place to invest - that is whatever place meets your criteria, goals and investing style.Personally flips have not been working as well for me lately, but when we get the right BRRRR deal those are still working well.

Leveraging our market connections, we identified the property’s potential and negotiated favorable terms directly with the seller, securing it at a highly competitive price.

Since you’re considering converting the upper unit into a short-term rental, you may also want to implement strict rules around smoking or strong odors in your house rules to avoid future issues.

As I've come to terms with this I have taken the last five months to regroup and really think about the future which brings me to my post and what I'd like to get the communities opinion on.I successfully negotiated and acquired one of my duplexes in 2017 that I nearly have paid off (note balance is $54k, property value $230k).

My focus is on providing either turnkey-style space for those interested in temporary, infrequent use or long-term leasing for business folks who require conference room space (or perhaps event space).