The median sales price rose by a record $40K compared to September 2019.The following analysis of the Philadelphia Metro Area housing market has been prepared by Bright MLS and is based on September 2020 Bright MLS housing data.See reports belowCheers, Yuriy

I am in the process of comparing turnkey single family homes in hopes to purchase one as my first rental.

You may avoid the taxes if you deposit the funds in an eligible retirement plan (which includes anIRA) within "3 years and a day" of the date of the COVID-19 distribution (note: compare to a 60-day rollover).

It's like comparing Disneyland park to your local theme park. 

Schools are pretty good and the home prices are still affordable compared to Carmel, Westfield, Avon, Brownsburg, Zionsville, etc.  

@Tom Matousek the numbers in NC will probably be better than what you'll see up here in 9.99 out of 10 cases, other considerations for investing in this area are the laws governing rentals (NJ is bad but NYC might be the worst in the country) Age of property (our buildings and homes are traditionally a lot older than yours which could equal more cost for you as the owner) cost of labor and materials (yup, were more expensive here too) Acquisition cost (which could easily be 4x what you'd pay for a comparable building in your neck of the woods. 

However if your market is comparable to mine MF is always a pinch more expensive than SF.

I'd compare the entry prices for both options as well as the cash flow for both options, and see what you come up with.

If so, go with an option the market will accept (often laminate takes a beating on the market compared to carpet or vinyl, depending on several different factors). 

If it’s a really mixed area I would want to keep all comparable properties in a tighter grouping than normal?