@Steve T.As a native of New Jersey currently residing in Georgia, I highly recommend considering Georgia.

Prices are high but they claim some pretty impressive figures like circa 15% YOY value gains since they started in 2004 on average (I struggle to believe this).  

Most of the time, deals pencil better with a regular DSCR loan for an acquisition than with a high-interest rate ARM on your primary. 

Here are my criteria:1.Purchase value below 75k2.At least one college3.Diverse economy4.Not high crime5.Growing population 6.Not smaller then 10k peopleAny recommendations ?

On a side note, the main reason for home prices being so high is restricted development.

We have outstanding occupancy (in the high 90%) at a rate that is basically the same as LTR.  

Very humble, hardworking, blue-collar family and they happen to grow up in a part of California that is highly desirable now.

The high-appreciation asset will gain more value monthly than the low-appreciation asset that spins off some cashflow.That said, are you sure the first home will appreciate more over time?

World of finance is in free fall, and being in new home development we went from running a thousand miles per hr to a dead stop in the blink of an eye, and being so high on that ladder, it was a long fall and a hard hit at the bottom.

I’ve seen high-highs and low-lows.