I have relationships with many of the re there  and can connect you with some if you'd like so you can get their prospective as well.I cover the main island too and find that each region has its pros/cons depending on what one is looking for but I do feel that even with the current state the world is in, its a great time to consider investing here in some capacity.

Renovation cost are very specific to your region.

The area around the airport is a great place to be looking for rental properties, but keep in mind that Duplexes are not common in the Baltimore region (at least not duplexes where both units are on a single deed).  

I sell homes from Winston to Salem and coastal regions too.

Generally smaller local banks are going to be a better bet for financing than larger regional or national lenders.

I agree this needs to be broken down by region, property type, coverage, etc. 

However the opportunity to build an expertise in a regional/niche real estate opportunity is greater and more likely for an individual investor, vs. building an expertise in investing in most any class sector or individual stock without insider info.

Must be a very recent, or perhaps regional, policy shift as we have 5-6 unit properties under residential financing with CIBC and RBC  

Find a local mortgage broker or a regional or small community bank. 

Montgomery county is another region I thought about investing in but finding a distressed home in this area will be hard.