If your goal is cash flow it's always better to invest in areas where entry is low & rent is what drives demand. 

With the college, the hospital, and tourists in the summer there will always be a demand for rental property.As an aside, my wife grew up in Newcastle and attended Lincoln Academy.

@Seth Borman I have no experience when it comes to solar power and the demand the heating will put on the system. 

It's rare, but occasionally you can find a value add play where you'd be buying into a property with much lower than market rents where you have to do a renovation in order to get higher rents, and then you can get the 1% rule.

Also looking for a good reliable cleaner that could come on demand to turn the place over if we were unable to.

I've talked to a few people about doing rentals and most of their responses are about the same "start of with a cheaper small house, rent it out and gradually work towards getting more lots and then work bigger towards dupleces and so on" I need direction for learning tools I really am starting fresh, I don't have knowledge really at all on market what factors that are in play when going to buy a house or renting it out or anything like that.

It seems like Phoenix is growing rapidly and that they are building down there and it won't be anytime too soon that the supply will meet the demand.

Could be a factor at play.

Buildable space is limited (low supply & high demand = $$)con: traffic up there is misery.

Also being awakened by them has been spectacular - nothing beats being jarred awake at 6:15am by a toddlers screaming at the top of their lungs horse playing in the front yard.