These are older buildings (usually more than 20 years), and are located in less desirable areas and are in need of extensive renovation.

reche canyon is a pretty desireable park in Colton.  

Sorry to say i work with a lot of realtors, they are super cool here, but they rarely seem to spot the trend or truly understand it, this is due to the fact that for so long Utica was not a desired area.

The towns you have listed are pretty low in multi family inventory because they are highly desirable towns given their great school systems, access to hw, low crime rates so that means you will likely have to up your budget to get into the rare multis that are ever available or do the first property as a house hack, get some gains, and then buy the SFH you want your forever home to be. 

Sounds like you desire/have achieved stability.

You will definitely find a LOT of help on this website and I encourage you to network in and around the area.Any area near or around Charlotte is hot real estate wise and you’ll likely be competing with home buyers as well as investors but it’s a great area to invest as it is an extremely desirable location.

For example, if you are looking to connect with other members near you, want to learn from people in a specific area you’d like to invest in, or have a desire to find people interested in certain topics, you could use the search feature here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersI really like the alerts feature that can quickly guide you to current topics that may be of interest: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsThere are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides

I just did a job transfer ( by choice family reasons) from huntsville alabama  the economy in huntsville is starting to really expand  so all those  people in those new jobs are going to need some type of housing   bottom line is look for markets where large employers have moved into  look at  ecconomic groath for your desired areas

I believe my education, skillset and desire will help me build a foundation to grow upon.  

Citrus park is a great area and I think will become more desirable as Tampa becomes more developed.