hey jordan, i'm from st. louis originally and got lured back last year after a couple years in toronto. my wife and i are new to investing, close on our first property (a little sfr in the shaw neighborhood) in a couple weeks. we're in the same ballpark you are in terms of targets. we've been monitoring duplexes pretty closely for a couple months now, and it seems the market for multi-families in the neighborhoods you're hearing about (tower grove south, tower grove east, fox park) is very competitive. university city and clayton might also be areas to consider (near washington university and on our train line). i'm a newbie to investing but an olbie when it comes to stl, so i'm happy to answer questions you've got to the best of my ability. 

@Jay HinrichsI have flipped a couple properties this year.

Not sure where you are located but your probably looking at least a couple hundred bucks to have this custom made for you.

I just started my journey a couple months ago myself but I am a little farther along in life than you by about 12+ years.

Your post raises a couple other questions however which you might want to clarify

I would also recommend attending the local Kansas City MAREI meetup in December.  

I am not local and I am thinking of having my tenant attend the meetings.

The thing Im searching for the hardest is to get a couple of ideas on how to start saving and hopefully make some connections along the way.

I have been on BP for a couple weeks now.

On the off chance you decide to hold and rent, make sure you discuss permanent financing options with a couple of banks/mortgage brokers up front as well.