., so do you mean living in one state while a local PM manages a STR for you in the other state?

As for the areas to target, my goal in getting our feet wet as real estate investors--and since we plan to be living in Sac--is to find a property we can live in while renting out one or more units to help cover our housing expenses, which we can then hold and continue to rent out when we move.

I am putting in a link to something that may be help, a cost of living comparison calculator (https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculat...). 

I'm a Realtor with a couple properties listed in Boise, ID and a neighboring town for my investor/client that are currently rented as co-living or rent-by-the-room and getting killer income. (7.3% - 9.5% Cap rate) So far, every inquiry has been baffled by the concept of co-living or rent-by-the-room and immediately ask if they're being run as a halfway-house (which they are not).

Both my aunt and my mother’s husband have expressed their willingness to remove their names from the title, granting sole ownership to my mother.My mother is interested in transferring ownership of the property to me and allowing me to live there.

I found an area I felt comfortable living in and I bought a house with an FHA loan.

I work in Potomac, MD, and would like to buy a condo or apt that I can easily commute and live in, and then eventually rent out, and then buy another. 

I live here and househack as well - can provide a first hand perspective.

We plan on living in the house and doing most of the fixes and renovations ourselves.

If it pays for itself, it provides you with a "free" place to live during the off-season.