To give you an idea of how we approach it, we assume the worst-case scenario right from the start is 9-12 months of no rent, $5,000 in legal fees, and an additional $5,000 in expenses to deal with moving their stuff, putting it in storage, and dealing with health code violations or NOV's from the city during the process. 

I personally do recommend Columbus Ohio for many reasons.

My personal opinion: he's not the only one "doing it right" but he's definitely on the very short list of those that are.Just my .02note: I don't participate in his deals.

What I was getting at is that even investing "out of state", let alone out of the country, is more difficult when you don't have any personal connections and even more difficult with your first property.

The northland MAREI meeting and the main monthly meeting at MAREI have a minimal fee, or for $99 a year you can attend all of them for no extra charge - northland is in person, the main meeting is still online, both are great ways to connect and learn. 

They prioritize personal development.

I personally would revisit your strategy of buying a negative cash flow property in SoCal, right now.

They're long distance typically so viewing the space in person isn't usually a priority, and this saves you time from having to drive over and schedule facetime tours :)

You are going to send your wife to personally unclog that toilet.

Although the journey has been worth it, I've sacrificed quite a bit from a personal lifestyle perspective, relationships, etc.