They can often be started with nothing but an inexpensive shared hosting account, a cheap (or free) website template, and off-the-shelf software. If you're wondering why, the logic behind this is that since you're local yourself, you're not seen as a "Big Company," unless that's the image you want to portray. You're not an outsider who has to prove him/herself. You're "one of us." A neighbor. That's a huge advantage. Secondly, there are tons of free tools you can grab hold of to use (if you know where). Obviously Less Competition (Or None). In most cases, you will be the only person in your market running the type (or types) of site you choose to set up locally. Because of this, even a basic grasp of online marketing will put you way ahead of everyone else in your market. And if you happen to know slightly more marketing methods, you're going to hit home run and will be laughing all the way to the bank. One more thing...