From my perspective, there isn't really a "best market for buy-and-hold"; rather, there are "the best markets I know really well, that fit MY own buy-and-hold strategy." 

But look at it from the other guy's perspective.

Maybe you throw some lipstick on your current place while you're still there to squeeze as much out at a sale as you can so you can start fresh?

At least that's my perspective...  

From a rental cash flow perspective, however, it seems like less of a slam dunk.

For some tenants it was a breath of fresh air and their desire to stay in the community and contribute in a positive way as great tenants made the transition for us favorable as well.

I've done some reading through the more popular topics on the site, and I'm currently listening through all of the podcasts, but while actually partaking in the investment is something that I've yet to do, I understand the analysis from a cash flow perspective because of my background, and have built models in excel to analyze potential investments (though I'll likely leverage this site's Pro tools for the reports and PM's). 

Oh, and no you aren't going to find that deal, at least nothing that looks like that fresh off the MLS.You will need to value add, rehab etc. to get anywhere near that "real" cap rate here in Palm beach, everyone has cash and wants MF's here.

Looking for perspectives on whether REITs are worth investing?

To echo some of the statements here, considering your position with the perspective of where I'm currently at, note investing (investing in mortgages) is a nice way to get into investing with sizable (one might say...bigger?)