OPFirst thing is to understand the topic is really Scaling.  

I guess Air BnB is the newest hot topic.. nice southern gentlemen.. can't comment on his class or anything like that since I have not sat through it..

I've done a lot of research on this topic as both an investor and as one who assists other investors in exploring this strategy.

Trust me, I have been there.I suggest you try to House hack in cities that you are already familiar with and have some connection with.Hire a great investor agent in that market and ask them all your questions and concerns.That I believe is the best way to get personalized advice tailored to your goals and lifestyle.You giving out Cleeveland and Toledo on your post will only attract biased opinions and advise.Only you know what you truly like, want, and can deal with.As Nicolas said, read this post and comments and hope that gives you a new perspective. https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/1215726-break...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...Goodluck and keep us posted.

I figured this would be the perfect place to connect with like-minded people, get advice, and explore more resources to guide our decisions. 

Depending how much of the neighborhood is a hot zone for renting rather buying, and which Property type is performing better than the other (meaning 1bd 1ba 2 floor renting out faster and much more consistently than a 2bd 1ba 1 floor), you can make your choice of those factors as well as other ones that impact your decision for what you wanna do with your investment.

The last post on this topic I see is from about seven years ago... so figured I would start fresh. 

I'm looking at expanding into out of state and just trying to figure out what questions I should ask/data I should gather to make an informed decision!

If you can learn to understand the fundamentals of a given market you can make informed investment decisions. 

The PM should really cover the $250 mistake, but I would base my decision on my entire experience with them.