I live in SoCal -- I would prefer an even closer market but not really sure which other market would make sense?

I live far west of Knoxville near Crossville, TN so bonus points if you live near me.

@Amir Castillo Hello development is what I do for a living.

I finally received a demand letter from a "nonprofit attorney" representing the tenant, claiming that the tenant was living in uninhabitable conditions—typical for a non-paying tenant, I guess—and now she wants to "renegotiate" the rent and keep living in the same space.She has been filing complaints with various government departments, but all the cases were minor and have been closed.

@Shawn Blake figure out what each of the units would rent for and then compare to your PITI payment.Ignore the fact that you are living in on of the units for the analysis.If you can STR one or two of the bedrooms in the unit you live in, it will add to your revenue.

HI Blake,You can always start off by house hacking meaning you live in one UNIT or ROOM and renting out the other vacant units/rooms to offset your monthly mortgage payment.There are several ways to run and make sure you are maximizing your rental income while keeping your living expense as low as possible.

Like mentioned above buy primary residence, house-hack, or live-in flip deal!

It's a challenging "job" and so worth it.My sister lives in Charlotte near Carrowinds. 

I’ve lived in it solo the whole time.

We have a friend in Louisiana that is a contractor and another friend that has 2 rental units there already so this is the reason we are looking in Louisiana, plus costs in NY where me and my business partner live are way more expensive of course.