You'd like a cash-flowing property in an appreciating area or a property where you can force appreciation, but banking on organic appreciation is akin to gambling.

If the market isn't right for selling, hold onto it and keep collecting checks until it recovers.If you buy for appreciation, it's a true gamble.

You can buy for capital appreciation(which is a gamble), buy for cash flow, buy a REIT and play real estate like the stock market.  

So now, at this point, you are pretty much gambling on your flip if you use anything else except SW.

Because of that, real estate investors in California will compromise on cashflow for appreciation (Oakland, for example), but that's a (rational) choice, nothing stops anyone from chasing pure cashflow in the Great Valley (Fresno), Foothills, or along the Oregon border (this last one is fairly rare). 

well when you put it that way, makes it seem like I'm gambling, hahaha. 

Gamble you'll need to consider.

At first I was looking at the $30k properties and didn't find as much as I had hoped for in the areas I as looking at, mostly NW side and bordering around Wauwatosa.  

Dont want to gamble it and I intend to access it at 10k downs for low end properties.

Not to freak anyone out, but I think some borders for states might kind of close and or perhaps days a way from temp domestic airport closures, trains stations, bus stations.