The best I can do is to say every deal is unique just like every buyer is unique.

This way you can not only get to understand what's driving each market (because they are all uniquely different) but you can also connect with local investor-savvy Realtors to take a look inside various property types to fully understand their potential.

The zoning of manufacturing puts you in a unique position.

Cleveland, OH...the country's best kept secret.Cheap cost of living (housing, entertainment, etc)Incredible Park System that runs throughout entire Northeast Ohio (Metroparks)Professional Sports (Browns, Indians, Cavs, Hockey, etc.)Playhouse Square (Biggest theater district in the USA outside of NYC)Rich history (steel, industry, Rockefellers, etc.)Museums (Rock and Roll HoF, Art, etc.)Prestigious Universities (Case Western Reserve)Incredible Food due to multi-ethnic old-world population (Slavic, Arabic, African American, Latino, etc.)Lake Erie (and everything that comes with it, boating, beaches, etc.)Excellent Suburban school systems (I am a produkt of deeze skoolz)City Pride...you don't get it unless you're from hereThe worst part about Cleveland is the weather. 

Whenever my friends come over to shoot sporting clays at my house, I invite some of my better tenants to shoot also. 

You have a unique situation where you'd almost be like a sales agent for a builder. 

Are there issues that I need to be aware of, unique to the East coast?

I like the log home idea because I feel like a lot of airbnb users like staying in unique properties.

That's one of my favorite things about buying properties - when past tenants leave things (old antique furniture, tools, gas cans, sports cards). 

First, without being in the property, it's hard to understand the unique features of each property.Second, there's a liability issue.