Personally I'm a fan of central air, and most of our units have that, or are moving towards it.

Other than that, and maybe running some fans or dehumidifiers depending on the nature of the basement, you should be fine. 

I heard about bigger pockets a couple years ago from my husband who is a fan also.  

Secondly, I am not a wild fan of this area because as Zillow is showing you the schools are sub-standard.

I am not a fan of central city.

Again, more diversification and more protection.And, I'm personally not a fan of any investment right now in the 3 to 5 year time range.

I know what its like to over analyze, while i'm not pushing you to make a move in two weeks time my best advice is to study, research and of course ask questions but make sure you dont get analysis paralysis :) I would find a place you like and possibly take advantage of the awesome first time home buyer incentives and loan programs, find a nice duplex and get your feet wet in landlording and build some cashflow or possibly even just live free which would free up capital to explore all these other means of real estate investments.I am a big fan of starting out this way because it allows you to sort of dabble in so many different real estate venues.

I'm not a fan of HOA's so I choose neighborhoods that don't have them in place.  

I also am a big fan of networking.

@Ned Carey It sounds like a whole different league.