The city's universities, hospitals, and growing job market contribute to a steady demand for rental properties, especially in desirable neighborhoods.Considering your budget of under $1.5 million, there are plenty of investment opportunities in Philadelphia that align with your investment goals.

Just curious what you’re truly feeling lost about.I am personally looking close to home, but part of that is due to time commitments and the desire for direct oversight.

@Josef Bryan Gerster I think some adjustments in your Revenue Management model could be made to increase desire for mid-week bookings.

Even before when rates were low class A/B in desirable areas sold at negative cashflow and the buyers made a killing over time from appreciation and rent growth.

Areas I think would do well are those where people are moving back to or highly desired - Arcadia, Scottsdale, Tempe, Gilbert, parts of PHX, and Chandler / Mesa. 

For example, some neighborhoods have much larger percentage of owners than investors, in which case SFH may be more desirable.

But do not discount your desire to come back to CA.

The trouble I am having is there is no comps to look at in the immediate area, so I just took some comps that were miles away up further north, and subtracted a little bit since the area was located near more desirable restaurants and shopping. 

Partner Driven was drawn to the N Backer Avenue property due to its location in a desirable Fresno neighborhood and its potential for value enhancement.

Every market is a bit different, but sticking to what you would be desiring as a guest is more certain to hit than going based strictly off value.I find it ironic how vast the differences are between STR and LTR.