I can think of several neighborhoods that continued to go up through the crash 6-8 years ago.

I know it's not 2009 but I think the Phoenix market is still a very lucrative area to be in.Would love to connect with local investors/mentor and continue to learn.

If you have a lot of liquidity to offer, you can certainly pay cash but to your point that will inhabit the great feature of leverage.  

The real advantage of Class A properties is they are likely to hold their value and continue to appreciate, be easier to rent if not priced too high and draw a more financially stable applicant.

Also, I would suggest reading articles, latest news stories that feature these neighborhoods.

I hope you continued success.

My plan is to continue to save for a down payment and in approx. ten months purchase my first home.

My direct  RE holdings & development investments I am continuing to do closer to home and am much happier that way.  

If I don't get anywhere with the tax collector I am going to just continue to mail the property and hopefully get in touch with the person picking up the mail and paying the taxes. 

I think that investing that time and money will motivate me to continue pursuing my goals and to not give up.