It is true that without understanding the local market , it's tough to make wise decisions.

Granted your guy had been a problem before all of this, but as a general statement, now more than ever wise investors will take care of their teams.  

I also worked part-time while in school, so it wasn't a total waste money wise.

I think it would be wise to plan for less of a return. 

Would it be more wise to tackle the student loans and then start investing or save up a little more and start investing in a multi-family unit and start paying off the student loans?

Once the people start to wise up to the exaggeration being fed to us and our country opens for business, I think we'll see the market bounce back quick and strong.I do expect bad things to happen due to the shut-down but I think it's closer to two years away.

Doing a complete 180 environment wise might just be a little much - again I can't speak specifically to the Indy market but I am pretty certain living in a C area in Indy vs. west palm beach would be a fairly drastic change.

James Wise...

Another thing to keep in mind, is that if you choose your markets wisely, your rental income will grow over time.

Size-wise, it's about like combining Rhode Island and Connecticut and then some.