Craig- you've received good suggestions here, imo.

I'm not too familiar with the markets yet but research I've done suggests that the towns of New Britain, New Haven and Hartford all have a good mix of inventory and low prices coupled with plenty of amenities, night life, cafes, etc and local colleges to bring younger people to the area year after year.

This is after all construction in Los Angeles, if you've never done it before add 50k.If you have $500,000 in cash I suggest you use it elsewhere, this years long headache is likely not worth the 1000's of man hours you will also have to put into it running your very own team of scientists.

If you are in the Tampa area and plan on purchasing there, I highly suggest you connect with @Josh Green.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize the wealth of information available: Check out the blogs and podcasts, or take advantage of the search feature (magnifying glass).

This will save you time and effort, as you won’t have to travel long distances to manage different properties or handle tenant issues.For your first investment, I suggest starting with 2-4 unit properties.

Can anyone suggest beach markets in SC and/or GA that allow STRs and cash flow with 20% down?

I'm in escrow on a small multifamily (4-unit) in San Diego and wondering if anyone has suggestions for great property managers in the area.

@Kaaren Hall after seeing your post i called them right away, their fees are extremely high for an HSA that for the most part most people don't have a lot of money in.I max my HSA every year, but if you have a self only plan you can only put about 4k /yr  and if you have some medical bills it's less.they are also very restrictive on taking money out, and no CC to pay the doctor. prior to speaking with them I was extremely excited to see this opportunity you suggested,  but after my conversation I'm no longer...I will look for other options now that I see there may be some, so thanks so much for bringing it up.

You should start with both of these suggestions.