The investment club wasn't much help. They listed different property for sale in different areas across the country. The catch was that those properties paid a fee to the club to be listed and those properties were not any better. It was easier to use them, but not the best deal. I wasn't impressed with the investment club in Honolulu either. Anyone using common sense would do better.
A financial newsletter I get stated you shouldn't buy unless you could make 10 percent a year on your rent after expenses. So a $100,000 house needs to rent for $1200 a month or more. That is difficult to find because property tax in some areas was very high. Texas was 3 percent or more in some areas.
Money magazine recommended Tallahassee Florida as being one of the best areas to invest. Other business magazines or TV shows have suggested Florida over and over. I like north Florida because you don't have to worry about hurricanes.
The best place to buy is the city that you live in. But if it is not cost effective, than look else where. I wish I had been employed in 2009, I would have bought as many homes as I could have gotten a loan for. The best investment is putting down 20 percent and finance the rest. If your rent pays for the mortgage, it is a no brainier. Over time, rent will go up. However, some areas like Las Vegas has too many rentals and the rent went down from 2009-2014, so do a lot of research about where to buy and finding a good property manager. The time to buy is now before interest rates go higher. So if you don't have time to travel, buy a single family home where you live or within driving distance of your home.
There are a lot of web sites to find how much rent a house should bring in. Even Zillow has good info on that. Zillow has good price history for homes also. That would be a good place to start.
