Now is a solid time to start strategizing your plan of attack before rates go down and AZ turns into a madhouse again. 

Looking to get started in my investment journey and trying to figure out some criteria on where to invest.

I haven't personally looked, but depending on how far you consider "something nearby" you could start to look towards Bakersfield/Fresno or moving east.

I started researching and investing in January 2024 and purchased my first investment property in March 2024.

Agreed but improving..Not for STR though :)  Perhaps, but they are starting to take a page out of NYC in terms of residency requirements.https://www.steadily.com/blog/airbnb-short-term-rental-laws-...

Presumably it should be an animal that starts with a B...So I guess I'm beaverish or something on prices in my area in the next year. 

I've been in construction for almost 20 years at this point and I've decided to start my own business.

It was 9:00 at night and starting to get cold, so they didn't want to wait until the next day, if possible. 

US 10 year Treasury yields tumbled (by nearly 10 basis points today and counting..) with the latest inflation metrics showing a dip last month indicating the Federal Reserve could start to lower interest rates this year with a now 80% chance of a September rate cut. 

I have enough put away to purchase a few properties for rentals and kick start everything with a faster scale and keeping reserves on hand.