@Mike McCarthy I agree, I like your optimism! 

Then look at the costs needed to optimize rent and minimize vacancy.  

Why would somebody want to buy a property that has already been optimized to run at peak efficiency?

Then goes on to discuss the specific cities, starting with Aurora, CO "Another sign for optimism in the Aurora real estate market is the rising home values.

It's a good idea to search for an optimal market in which to invest, one with cashflow favorable economics (population growth, wage growth, employment growth etc) and a balance between supply and demand.

Whether that is ‘optimal’ idk.If you lower your cost of living enough it’s definitely possible to retire early on indexes via the ‘safe withdrawal rate’.

Of course I'm busier day to day when I'm actively buying and then renovating, but once the property is stablished (optimized for highest and best use with tenants in place), then I'm back to the slower zone and that is when I travel.

I do have a photo of a small restaurant called "Wurst Fuchs" that I kept as a momento, the irony being that was I was there on my honeymoon and it turned out the be more prophecy than a menu.

I think a good property manager should be able to suggest the optimal rate for rent on that area.  

I get optimizing, but chasing what in the long term amount to marginally increased returns doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, especially when the down side is capital loss and the potential of delaying your purchases, which impacts the main wealth generators of RE, cash flow, amortization, appreciation, and tax savings.