I do a lot of handyman work in the Cincinnati area.

Here is some context on the two possible obstacles I see:Zoning - The area is legally limited to single family homes, as in 1 and only 1.

If you want to network or ask specific questions about your local market, go to your local real estate forum and connect with investors from your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/86-local-real-estate-networking5.

Personally with a $425k budget I would be looking to invest in a pool home in Largo area or I would be buying a bungalow in the Ybor/Seminole Heights area of Tampa.

Compliance issues regarding local landlord regulations not an issue in my area.

And that includes areas where water is REALLY expensive or really horrible, unlike Louisville where water is not only cheap but clean and plentiful.

Equally important are looking in areas where the municipalities have ALREADY approved of them and provide benefits to the continued development of them.

Do you go to stores around there all the time, have friends in the area, have other ties to the area?

I can speak about Buckeye and the west Phoenix metro area.

I had the listing on Avail (which I use as a rental manager, and posts to many other popular rental sites), Zillow, and Facebook Marketplace.I already have a Section 8 tenant at Property #1 (which I acquired during the purchase), so I'm not opposed to the program at all, and to be honest, they pay above market rent in my area, so that worked for me.