I'm based on the west side of the Twin Cities and am investing on MN's North Shore (Duluth, Two Harbors, Grand Marais) The house were under contract for is a long-term duplex. 

My immediate goal is to acquire our first property and spend the next two years mastering the basics of real estate investment. ( Refining the Go and No property search criteria/ Learning the value of taxes and avoiding them as much as possible/ 1031 exchanges) Depending on my wife’s career orders, we may remain in Baltimore for 1-2 years, but I’m also exploring opportunities in West Texas, Sierra Vista, AZ, and Houston, TX.

Hello Zachary,  You are correct in looking at the Mid-West for cash flow. 

So I keep my eyes on North and North West Raleigh, Cary/Morrisville, South Point Durham, and Bethesda Durham into 27703.Size doesn't matter as much with short term rentals.

I am on the west coast, but have a SFH in Pigtown and believe I am finally at the point of needing someone "in town". 

Here in mid-west flyover country, rents are still creeping up and almost all the development has been luxury rentals (mostly by Redwood).

There are a lot of jurisdictions (most of the West Coast now) that include marital status, sexual orientation, and others under their fair housing regulations.

On the flip side the clients I fund in my land deals are doing very very well in the foothill subdivision 50 miles or so west of the springs.. but thats the land game buy low sell high.. cant wholesale that stuff it needs to go on MLS to marketed and turn around time is generally 90 to 180 days but nice margins for my clients ..

The Columbia market -- specifically West Cola, Cayce, North Main, toward Camden, etc. -- appears to have some properties that would cash flow well, but may be limited on long-term appreciation.I'm looking to stick to market-rate properties.  

Some solid areas to look at are:Riverside, Avondale, Murray Hill, San Marco, San Jose, Orange Park, southern part of west side, east Arlington, pockets of the Northside.I’m on my phone so a little tough to go in great detail, but you can message me and we can find a time to chat if you’re interested.Chris - thanks for the reply.