The neighborhoods have changed but the working class part of our city has been steady for the last 20 years or so.

Plus...escape velocity...Episode 113 – Jay Papasan - Very practical slow and steady adviceEpisode 221 - Tim Shiner - his concept of equity build up and "shearing the sheep" shows some of the flexibility of real estate vs a 401k Last but not least, I also recommend all the tax advice given by my fellow CPAs on the BP Podcast.

@Eric Black I feel the same way as you because I actually thought using the money to invest in turnkey rentals that is already producing steady streams of income was a good thing.

Plus...escape velocity...Episode 113 – Jay Papasan - Very practical slow and steady adviceEpisode 221 - Tim Shiner - his concept of equity build up and "shearing the sheep" shows some of the flexibility of real estate vs a 401k Last but not least, I also recommend all the tax advice given by my fellow CPAs on the BP Podcast.

You can also install BTU meters for each unit, these measure incoming water flow and temperature, and outgoing temperature, and calculate how many BTUs are used.

I am looking for information on the amount of homes being rented vs bought, what the temperature of the market is, and any other types of data that I might be able to include on a letter to give to a private lender to show what the market in Knoxville is like. 

Our condo has had no issues in the past 15+ years [since converted from apartment] even with torrential downpours; the only drawback I've personally encountered is the change in temperature during the seasons.

Wages/wage growth are steady.

Learning the underwriting guidelines is the first step to learning how to qualify and then you can create a budget and a plan, after that you can start looking at what market to invest in, although I will say Arizona is pretty attractive, we have super low property taxes, landlord friendly laws, relatively affordable prices,  as well as steady population and job growth. 

The longer durations they frequently have make them excellent for steady investments.