How to decide between suburban single-family and urban small multi-unit?

[David.H]

I'm a software engineer with some capital saved and I'm looking to make my first real estate investment, but I'm torn between buying a single-family rental in a growing suburban market or a smaller multi-unit property in a more established urban area. My primary goal is long-term appreciation with manageable tenant turnover. For experienced investors, how did you evaluate the trade-offs between cash flow potential and appreciation in your first deal? What specific due diligence steps, beyond standard inspections, did you find most critical for assessing a property's true investment potential, and how did you vet property management companies if you chose not to self-manage? I'm also unsure about financing strategies for a first investment property.