There are millions of PHDs and single moms in this country....

Purchase price: $180,000 STR in northern Minnesota. near Lake superior.4 Bed / 2 BathSelf managed from across the country.

Tampa, the main seat of Hillsborough county, has seen a cool off just like the rest of the country and getting a 4 unit in that price range is attainable.As you mentioned, you first want to buy a place to live in; this could be the perfect setup: live in 1 and rent the other 3 out to cover your mortgage and maybe even have positive cash flow.

You'll struggle to find them in any other area of the country.  

I don't really have any firsthand knowledge in the high-country yet, but hopefully I can find a deal soon.

@Andrew Moran you can find motivation anywhere in the country.

I have income that paid off the credit cards, a slew of frequent flyer miles to to 18 countries in 6 months and with none of the landlord baggage.

Perhaps things are different in your part of the country.  

Sure, if its just some paint, new flooring, maybe some low voltage lines for cable TV or a wireless AP that sounds fine.I know there are some areas of the country where town inspectors are a pain, but I usually here about that more so in major cities inspecting large commercial jobs.

At this point, I'm doing a ton of research and reading daily but I find all the books and articles in the world can never quite give you the "boots on the ground" feel for a particular area.In an effort to become more knowledgeable, I've been trying to get a handle on the different markets around the country and which are already solid and/or up and coming (COVID-19 issues aside...).