Instead of viewing AI as a looming threat, Catalano sees it as a steadfast ally, aiding him in crafting compelling property descriptions and marketing materials.And Catalano isn't alone in his perspective.

Recently, my city adopted a by-right ADU ordinance which I think opens a great deal of equity-building opportunities in the urban core with new construction of such units on existing residential lots.

I would personally see which market can offer you the best CORE Four and highly consider that.

Your "Core 4"(Realtor, Property manager, Contractor, Lender) are all critical to your success. 

I'd also recommend reading David Greene's article on building your core-4 for OOS investing: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/core-four-real-estate-tea...

Additionally, optimizing your online listings with high-quality photos, compelling descriptions, and virtual tours can boost interest.

Considering you can get 8% on average in the stock market and it takes no work and is extremely liquid, the extra 2% is not compelling enough to switch to real estate.I assume you are talking owning a property outright.  

I often hear great agents say they regularly hear "I would love to use you as my agent, but my neighbor's 19 year-old daughter that is working at Starbuck's just got her license, so I feel compelled to use her."

Following David Green's Core 4 strategy (realtor, contractor, property manager, and lender) gives confidence to invest anywhere.

The core of our business philosophy looks at owners as business partners and tenants as customers.