My thought is I buy a multi-fam (off market preferably) and house hack for 2 years then move south.

Good deals are very difficult to find though, especially in today's market. 

Strong rental markets: Many Midwest cities boast robust job markets and growing populations, creating steady demand for rental properties.4.

Is the market about to start popping again?

Market OverviewThe Los Angeles retail market showed signs of stability in Q1 2024, with asking rents holding steady at $34.21 per square foot and vacancy rates remaining unchanged at 8.1%.

So many deals to do in our market.

Quote from @Calvin Drake: I've found that some of the zipcodes on the northside (32208, 32209, 32206) have adequate opportunities to meet the 1% rule; however, with some deeper looking you most definitely can find properties elsewhere in Jacksonville that may not require as intensive of management as Ken mentioned.Can you explain what you mean by “deeper looking” other than looking at public listings or going into wholesale which I don’t have time for? 

@Miles Presha That SHOULD be a viable strategy but based on the rents in your market.

In an on the market podcast I listened to recently they talked about underrated cities and mentioned population growth as one of the metrics used gage whether it was a good investment. 

Good design, clean, comparable with market rates, and professional photos.