I have been analyzing deals that have been sent to me from the contacts I've made and although some are good, none have been incredible. 

I find McAllen attractive because I just like areas with warmer climate, are with new developments streets and new homes (kinda reminds me of parts of CA and Nevada in the earlier days because it got too expensive), large population growth in the foreseeable future, city in a business friendly state in general, surprisingly good school ratings (not sure how accurate this info is though), and not widely known yet compared to other cities.Being from out of state, which area in this city has the highest potential for rental appreciation?

I've got a wide net right now but when I'm out there from the 15th-25th I hope to narrow it down to a much smaller area that I'll focus on going forward.  

HOWEVER, over the 21 years as a buy and hold, self-managed Investment Property portfolio owner, it's an incredibly acceptable job for me!

The inspector failed to note that the furnace exhaust pipe was busted wide open from the furnace to the chimney underneath the house.

Unfortunately their solution is having an incredibly high Units:PM ratio and you get terrible service.Solution:  Have a minimum monthly rate in case rents are low. 

Wide and quiet street, good descent houses - I don't see any trash laying around.We are going to go there in a week for the first time.

I realize this can vary widely, as private money can be anyone from my Uncle to an unaffiliated wealthy investor. 

In my opinion, solely depending on appreciation in a market is incredibly dangerous and not smart investing.

Our idea at this point is this: it’s okay if a given investment doesn’t provide incredible immediate cash flow only as long as it will once repairs have been made and rents go up to a fair rate for both parties.