Quote from @Adam Macias: The economy is not healthy ya'll.House prices are coming down.Look at Texas and Florida, two years everyone though these states would have infinite growth.What has happened?

Think of it like Insurance:)Once you learn more, you can take over parts or all of management.Making it your full time career would probably require more cashflow than these units can produce.

They are no longer a low cost producer.  

A healthy 401k and IRA savings for their age (early 50s), a paid for little old commercial building valued at 200k that is currently being renovated for wife to start a small business out of.

Repairs and upgrades boost value but can drain liquidity.Are you using any financing tools to manage improvements while maintaining healthy cash flow?

East Tennessee home sales in August saw a healthy 2.1% increase over July, and a 7.4% increase over August 2024.The median sale price was $376,200 — up 3% from the previous year.Total housing inventory has increased 31.4% from the previous year.Half of the homes sold were under contract in 28 days or less, up from 20 days a year ago.39% of homes sold for the asking price or above, with 18.3% selling for more than the asking price. 7.9% sold for at least $10,000 over asking and 2.7% sold for at least $25,000 over asking price.5.5% of all homes sold in August sold for more than $1 million, a new high mark for the year.The sale-to-list price ratio lowered slightly to 98.6%, still up from 97.6% a year ago.New construction was 11.9% of total home sales.August sales saw a boost over July, outperforming the prior year and bringing the year-to-date total up by nearly 4%.

The Midwest has been great for investors making that jump thanks to affordable entry points, strong cash flow, and steady appreciation — it’s a great place to start scaling while keeping returns healthy.

Make sure you really crunch the numbers to make sure your cash flow is still healthy.

If you need some resources on that market I can send you some great ones.Your budget is healthy for single family homes in Detroit in solid areas.

PetePros:You lock in your own housing cost and start building equity.If your job situation changes, you could convert it to a rental later.Florida still has solid long-term appreciation potential.Cons:With your budget, you’ll likely get limited cash flow - and might even go negative after taxes, insurance, and maintenance.If you move, managing or selling could get tricky.This route makes sense if you’re certain you want to stay in the area long-term or you find a home that could double as a strong rental later.Option 2: Keep renting and invest out of stateThis is the path many people take when local markets don’t make financial sense.With $100K, you could easily get into a few cash-flowing rentals in affordable markets - like Memphis, TN, where I’m based.Here, homes in solid working-class neighborhoods still trade in the $100K–$150K range, and rents often fall between $1,100–$1,400/month, leaving healthy margins even after property management and expenses.If your goal is to start building a rental portfolio, investing out of state now might actually accelerate your path to financial freedom more than locking all your money into an expensive primary home.