Less crime, more growth (population, jobs), and generally stronger deals. 

Now combine a decent yield with strong population growth in a top 10 city with a diverse economy and a low relative price point, and it's clear why San Antonio attracts so many out of state investors.

I would definitely look in markets with populations that have grown steadily over the past few decades.

But I am worried it may not be an ideal rental property.It is located in Medford, Oregon and the population here is roughly 85,500.

You also want to do some research yourself to find out about local schools, population growth, crime stats, job growth, etc...If you're open to other strategies aside from OOS, my advice would be to begin local (if possible).

Forgot to add that the population of the closest town is 6,000+ with strong growth every year.Thanks everyone.Overview

So condos can be fine, especially in densely populated areas where it’s harder to buy SFRs.

And supply has been choked off in 2008, meanwhiel the US population kept on growing.

Finally, given that I will be my first purchase, it seems like the loan approval for the property would reduce the number of ways where I can screw up.However, I recently came across some stories where people buy ~$15k houses and do impressive renovations (roof, floors, kitchen, bath) for ~$15k due to the fact that those properties are in less populated areas and have cheap rehab costs.

The taxes keep going up and the population keeps declining, more and more of the well paying jobs in factories and such are closing.