I’m looking for guidance on what type of investment property I should be looking to buy, whether it be a multi-family, single family, or a house near the beach that can double as a beach house/student housing as there is a university nearby. 

I went to the University of Cincinnati, and even after college I lived in a few different multi-family's.

Hi John-Thanks for sharing this list of Top 10 Real Estate Markets for Cash Flow in 2024.I too found it interesting to see Flint, MI on the list but as a graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint and Mott Community College in Flint and I am back there often enough to say Flint has done a lot to develop itself and a lot of money has been poured into Flint after the water crisis.I say good for Flint.

The education and health services sector alone added 23,800 jobs in the past year, reflecting a significant expansion in these industries, particularly in healthcare and social assistance​.Proximity to Major Employment Centers: Greater Heights offers convenient access to key employment hubs such as downtown Houston and the Galleria area, which are major attractors for residents due to the short commute and abundant job opportunities​.Education: Nearby institutions like University of Houston and Rice University contribute to the area's appeal.Infrastructure Projects: Ongoing developments like the East Blocks Redevelopment and BioHub II at Generation Park enhance local amenities and attractiveness.Investment InsightsGreater Heights Rental Market Trends:Single-Family House Rentals:Median Rent: $1,350 for 1 bedroom, $2,695 for 2 bedrooms, $3,250 for 3 bedrooms, and $6,100 for 4+ bedrooms​​.Stability in rent prices with modest YoY increases: 2 bedroom rents increased by $195, and 3 bedroom rents by $250​​.Median Sold Price YoY ComparisonApartment Rentals:1 bedroom apartments saw a YoY increase of $305, 2 bedroom apartments by $667, indicating strong demand for these unit types​​.Available Rentals:High availability of both house and apartment rentals, indicating a robust market that can support new rental investments​​.Sales Market Trends:Median Sale Prices:Significant appreciation in home values, particularly in 1-bedroom homes, which saw a 190.7% increase from $215K to $625K​​.Other bedroom counts also showed positive appreciation, e.g., 2 bedrooms (5.3%), 3 bedrooms (6.5%), 4 bedrooms (17.4%)​​.Market Activity:Increased number of homes for sale and sold, suggesting a dynamic and active real estate market.

Pay off HELCO, REPEAT.If you are an accredited investor I can discuss some Alternative investments I am personally looking at to generate income that offer tax advantages to shelter some income.

I would find an accredited land consultant and ask them to advise you.  

On top of that, you have one of the biggest and best universities in the world here with Ohio State University.

We need to establish SOPs that can universally applied regardless of how stable the residents' relationship seems at the time of move-in.

Which means as a society we will have to shift to a universal basic income system, like it or not, there is no other way.

Lot of accredited investors these days are moving from pure 100% equity deals to 100% debt investment, it makes sense as 8% IRR vs 12% IRR  vs 5% IRR from CD is not much different.I am investing to debt also but very small, but I am no longer interested in collecting small cash flow, I am working to make investment above 25-30% IRR only by own own very active real estate business.