I'll add that I prefer to keep my rents reasonable which gives me a wider choice of tenants, tenants that tend to stay longer and they usually rent out pretty quickly.  

As Upen said above there are other options as well, VA would be an option if you are a qualified veteran or active duty military, conventional financing is basically the only way to go if you will not be living in one of the units for at least a year after you purchase it.FHA does basically have life of loan Mortgage Insurance these days and this loan can be an expensive choice due to the MI and UFMIP but as I tell borrowers often its the cost to play. 

I understand The Ohio market to where my partners and I would have no choice but to benefit from cash flow, and keep investing.

After defaults, I am still getting about 7% for the last several years,  which is really good for a completely passive investment and something fairly conservative.On the other hand, if you are looking to keep the money in real estate, then real estate crowdfunding sites are an excellent choice  for passive income.  

That's not to disparage the legal profession, I just think it's a clash of personality.Still, although I wouldn't make the same choice over again, I am trying to find a silver lining. 

Additionally, their fees are also towards the high-end: 1 to 2% versus an average of 1%.So bottom line: they are a solid choice if you're looking for residential debt, and can deal with the downsides.

Your first choice may not work out so you need to have back up options of managers.

So it seems like Portland would be the better choice from an RE standpoint, but I'm not sure.What do you think about these markets BP?

Where is this located, the neighborhood choice will likely get ya the most feedback from the MKE crowd on here. 

Welcome @Dona Alvarez to the BP community.Getting more education on investing before starting out is always a good choice.