Scottsdale, Tempe and Central Phoenix are probably your best bets.

I have a total of 25k for a downpayment.Currently FHA allows a max price of 550k for any residential property with 1-4 units (I am sure you already know this).

I have a total of 25k for a downpayment.Currently FHA allows a max price of 550k for any residential property with 1-4 units (I am sure you already know this).

Your best bet is figuring out which state produces the most out of state buyers for SU. 

By that I mean you figured out what real estate can do for you (allow you to "retire" early, allow you to spend more time with your family, allow you to travel, etc.) and because of that, you are totally invested in the idea of REI. 

@Mary Jay I empathize totally with your sentiments about your job, you wouldn't believe me if I told you the story of my last one, but you have to hit pause for a minute because you're all over the place.What I'm hearing you say is that you want to quit your job so you can go do something else/better... in order to do that you need to have other resources and income. 

You’ll need an inspection and you should dial in your scrope of work, I bet it’s a lot more than 5k if it’s been neglected for a while. 

Your best bet would be (1) - public REITs.Why does (5) have to be riskier asset classes like high yield bonds, leveraged products or inverse ETFs?

New plan, give me 400 bucks and I'll venmo you 4 bucks month for life**life of venmo or 400 dollar total value which ever comes first.

I'm not expecting total cash flow but income to offset the cost of the land would be beneficial.