You also have states like Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Nevada, all depending on your comfort level in distance or rental type.

The more I have researched the area, the more comfortable I am to actually do it.

Most will likely stick to the technical limit of Sept 2021 when it ceased being a primary residence, but some may be comfortable going by the address on the 2021 return and others may explore a partial exclusion, depending on the reasons for your move abroad.If you'd like to read up on the technical rules, the IRS publication 523 gets into more detail than most people would like to know, but it does have some helpful tables and examples for different scenarios.

By the end of this month, I’ll have saved up around $25,000, and I’m really eager to break into real estate.If you were in my shoes, how would you use that 25k to get started?

I didn't see your post until today. 30 - 45 days should not be an issue.This is the reason why I personally have built a buyers list of qualified buyers who can close with cash in 10-15 days (its never really that short between sorting out title issues, sending contracts back and forth, etc.)I feel comfortable telling the seller that although the contract says 30-45 days we can more than likely wrap the deal up in 10 - 15 business days barring any unforeseen circumstances.@ Tommy - I took a look at the cost of those leads. 25 leads a month for $150?

I'm scouting my first rental property, but in similar shoes as yours in terms of looking outside of my market. 

We develop a comfort zone, and if the risk is outside what we’re willing to consider we reject that investment without even needing to consider potential upside.8.

You can choose to background check each of the occupants if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Accordingly it should come with everything needed for a comfortable short stay, which would definitely be utilities. 

House hacking is a great start, with duplex properties offering flexibility and a comfortable living environment.