These constraints can become extremely expensive and make such cities undesirable for investment.If your goal is financial independence, invest only in cities where rent and prices have consistently increased faster than inflation.

1) Research Zoning of similar property2) Do search with same zoning criteria with propertyradar or have title company give you a list.3) Possibly filter by satellite photos to eliminate undesirable topography.

The best alternative is to not buy cheap, crapbox properties in the midwest that will attract an undesirable tenant base. 

Cheap crapboxes attract undesirable tenants with higher maintenance and vacancy. 

I stick to craigslist only and that's left me with 0 vacancy since I've been doing it, but sometimes it's a close call/undesirable tenants.

Typically there is a one or two year ramp up period where you get all the deferred maintenance and/or undesirable tenants out.

My main criteria for buying rentals is who my tenant pool is going to be, which is why I don't buy cheap midwest properties that attract undesirable, high maintenance tenants.

Which means the majority of applicants for the individual landlord with one or two units is from this undesirable tenant pool.In states that have a “fairer” approach to housing we find that small landlord if can be VERY profitable.

So it's not always direct pricing savings but peripheral things like that too.

When I performed a recent search for seller carried coastal land - the results were short and mostly undesirable.