I, many years ago, lived outside of Philly in Upper Darby. 

One idea, if you were to take this on yourself is to purchase a fixer-upper as a primary residence and do a live-in rehab. 

@Miguel RosendoHi Miguel, I stayed in Upper state of Ny for 3 yrs ( clifton park) and moved to NE of connecticut 2 yrs ago. i was kind of depressed when we just moved here as the inventory is crazy low, tax is high, houses are aged, lots of houses under septic and well, and foundation issues etc.

If you can find a fixer upper property there and get it to cash flow, I can think of few better investments.

$5 to 10k for emergencies and CAP EX would be fine to start.Roof and heater on their last leg? 

I paid them an arm and a leg to put a new AC in and 2 months later its leaking again.Apparently they did not clean the drain when they installed a new AC so it clogged and ruined tenants belongings.

Yeah, they can be a headache and you pay an arm and a leg in commission, but a good broker can really point you to a good property for your situation.

Select the map on the upper left. 

@Raven Walker What’s a typical price point for a fixer upper property in your market?

I didn’t know if building was a better option over buying a fixer upper.