My recommendation: focus on house hacking plus a simple BRRR-style value add on renewal or turnover, keep expenses tight, and start raising private money by sharing your story and numbers.

Hey Evan, solid list of markets you’re looking at...those all have pretty different strengths depending on your goals.I work with investors in a few of those areas (Arizona and Texas especially), and what I’ve seen is people usually narrow down their choice by looking at three things:What kind of tenant base they’re comfortable serving (workforce housing vs lifestyle renters)Property taxes and insurance costs (big swings between states)How involved they plan to be in the management sideIf you’re still figuring out what kind of market fits your investing style, I can connect you with a few people who started out-of-state and built small portfolios in those same regions.

Purchased my first duplex style property in Greeley, CO in June 2025 using FHA methods with down payment assistance.

Which is a little offensive to think that I write in the style of a bland AI bot. 

I've seen some crazy designs, like floral wallpaper with neon signs that okay, may not be my style, but they are eye-catching.

You’ll also want to look closely at the lease structure—sometimes these are commercial-style leases instead of residential ones—and make sure whoever’s operating the home has the proper licensing and insurance.

For you personally, do you lean more toward the hands-off, turnkey style, or do you still enjoy rolling up your sleeves and being more active in the process?

My personal preference is old style coil tops, because the renters tend to ruin smooth tops with their cheap pots, but I'd do a cheap smooth top before gas. 

Starting with a multifamily like a fourplex is a smart move because it gives you options—you can house hack by living in one unit while your tenants cover most (or all) of your mortgage, and at the same time, it sets you up perfectly to transition into a BRRRR-style model later.

., a friend of mine lives in North central area not to far from here.. this new build fits in nice with the CHS single style houses. .great job.. love the color Thank you it was under the jurisdiction of the BAR so U do need your plans and ascetics approved at the city level and that takes about 3 to 5 months and multiple meetings which does create drag on money out for the lot..