Police drive by occasionally and see 3-4 people standing outside smoking. 

Unless you're up for another challenge holding and renting creates headaches and PM "fun" you don't have time for. 

The candid advice about balancing quality, building the right team, and adapting to challenges really hit home.

Yes, the economies of scale are better but I feel the jump from duplexes to a 20 unit will be much more challenging than you think.

The challenge newer investors face is that overpriced properties tend to sit on the market for 60+ days and they see them all the time.

I'm not very familiar with these markets but I've found Columbus has great tenant quality on average, less property crime, and great appreciation potential.Any market can offer killer cash flow with those lower purchase prices, but in my experience, you're more likely to run into challenging tenant situations and higher maintenance costs that eat into those returns.

The challenge is to figure out:  do you have a distressed syndicator or a good syndicator?

.● Management Company Challenges.

Across ten doors I've had three turnovers in five years and one of the ladies that moved out (she wanted a larger house) still calls me occasionally to see if I have something available again. 

I was in the same boat when I moved from Portland OR to Columbus OH and started with a house hack so I understand the challenges of getting started with a new market.