Get the people who are potentially making the decision to give you more details and specifically what it would take to get it done.

"Best" means different things to different people and Philly is filled with MANY neighborhoods to choose from.

Crazy idea - How about asking your tax professional instead of a bunch of people on this blog that have no clue about if you qualify for RE professional status?

@Jessica DiPonziano I moved to a small community 2400 people in the summer, probably 30,000 people in a 45 mile radius 28 years ago.

I was contacted by two different people, one through email and another who called me.

God bless them, they are often wonderful waiters and hair dressers and service people and . . . .  

You might also be able to employ a short term rental strategy to increase cashflow-- sporting events, conferences, homecomings, graduation, etc. always attract people to the area.Ask around and try to find people who are investing in Amherst/Northampton and connect with agents in the area to see what's working.

I just recently sold a duplex property to an investor for $225k, which was bringing in $2800/mo, so you can find them occasionally. 

@Dave Ivery New people can and should buy RE but the ROI is less.

The applicant never bothered to call us and verify.It is sad to see scammers take advantage of people and steal like this.