Then when you want to move to another area because of school districts or whatever reason you can keep that and find your home you both dream of.

That leaves you with under 200k for a class D duplex and the high crime areas will be D minus.Personally we invest in the suburbs with nicer school districts, but that comes at a price of course.

Zip codes often span school districts and city linesIdeally you want a house in the same area (say 1/4 mile), built around the same time, similar size and condition, in the same school district and city.  

I am currently a high school senior in Georgia about to graduate.

I am a high school teacher in Colorado and I am always looking to help young people get started in real estate investing or help in any way I can.

Are they 12 month leases or just for the school year and do you have the parents as guarantors? 

However, as a graduate student most of us have that issue unless we are able to split rent with roommates or a partner.

I am a high school teacher in Colorado and I am always looking to help young people get started in real estate investing or help in any way I can.

Here's a personal example of appreciation in the OC...I bought a nice 4 Br - 2bth SFR ( apprx 1,600 sq. ft. ) close to a park with great schools for $ 93,000 back in late 1979. 

It then rebounded dramatically in June and July, as consumers rushed out to buy suburban homes, seeking more space for working and schooling from home.Builders now say they continue to see a steady stream of buyers, due in large part to the extreme shortage of existing homes for sale.