Basically any market with low taxes, favorable landlord laws and stable housing (aka as linear markets) will work.  

We don't have the crazy inflation some states have had, but Indiana has a very stable housing market.  

@Carrie GiordanoIt was including labor, the counter was off the shelf at Home Depot. and my contractor cut the sink hole out.

I have a goal and that goal is to be financially stable before i graduate in the the next 2 years. that may sound fast but i know many of you have probably moved mountains in that time.

Here is what I would do, take a porion of that 400k and put it to the side for emergencies until you have stable cashflow. 

I am sure that you can purchase just the home for those prices, however the shelf life is real questionable.

@Kyle Mitchell - Knoxville is one of the most stable markets in the country, but this is what makes it difficult for many out of market investors.

The area is notorious for being very stable and not going up or down in values over the last 8 years.

I am brainstorming for an upcoming local business trade show hosted by our chamber of commerce that brings through about 5,000 attendees.I'd like to have a promotional item to give away for our brokerage with a relevant and/or unique appeal - something with a long "shelf life" and not disposable.What promotional items have you have good success / response with?

If it's fairly stable, I tend to rely more heavily on cash flow, but you still need to use both metrics together.