In any market, you need to analyze median income, and crime, and that will help predict where you will have more challenges collecting rent.Every city has their challenges with vacancy.

Once you have that, you can look at what similar properties in your market are doing for design.

We backed out of that deal because there was a freeze that hit Texas market, and that freeze caused a bunch of plumbing issues.

They may come up but understand that rental rates are generally well below market (hence the discount) and these deals are largely off-market if you're able to find them.

It may be common in your market.

In today's market current inflation is actually higher than the rate we are paying to borrow for 30 years. 

I used to know the Dominican market quite well, as I was seriously considering investing there.

Go to Etsy and search for "rental property tracker," and you will find hundreds of nice spreadsheets to track 10-20 rentals, usually for under $10.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

Is there a forum, on Facebook or elsewhere, where I can learn about the conditions of the real estate market in Mississippi ( I realize that each county has its individual situation, to a degree) and ask questions? 

One thought is if what you are doing already is working why are you looking to move markets?