if you just pick something online and buy it - you will lose money.I like @Jake Andronico's post because he's recommending a higher cost, closer area. 

We have seen quite a bit of interest in the older resorts, closer to Disney where you can add current theming  and create a real gem which will book well. 

I priced out your scenario and that rate should run you closer to 2 points. 

Because prices are so high in Washington, I had been considering investing out-of-state, but after reading feedback from others in this forum I realize that the smartest approach when starting out is to invest closer to home.Therefore, I would love to hear from other investors in Washington about where in the state it’s still possible to find deals.

Paying so much for that mastermind motivated me to think outside the box to figure out how I could push myself closer to my goals.

Be known as a closer no matter what. 

I know there are some in Dallas proper closer to downtown, but I was curious if they existed in the more suburban/urban hybrid areas like Lewisville or Plano (though I'm pretty priced out of Plano for now).Thanks for the help!

We have enough capital now to purchase a property and and we are blessed to have capital left over every month as well, which we typically invest in CDs.Here are our current options: 1-Buy a turnkey place that has nothing to do with mom for cash flow of $200-300/month plus potential appreciation, overall ROI of 15-20% 2- Ask mom if she would move closer to us in San Diego, buy a small place here, have zero cashflow but at least we have another property in a great appreciating market and are no longer spending the $800 on her rent3- Buy a place for her in Orlando, same scenario as above but obviously a lesser mortgage since its FL and not CAWe found a great turnkey company we liked so if we do option one I think we will use them, but it just feels like if we do that we will still be tossing away what we currently pay on her rent. 

Things I've got down to minimal effort or fully automated: * Rent, security deposit, and fee collection* Basic accounting and tax packet creation* Listing vacancies* Lease signing* Applications, credit, and background checksThings I'm still dealing with directly ad-hoc or don't have a well defined process or solution in place for:* Requests and communication with tenants* Finding and coordinating service providers for maintenance and repair work* Scheduling showings and getting prospective tenants to make their appointments* Tenant turnover for move in and out* Keeping up with legal changes and lease template updates* Setting rent amounts* Lease enforcement - tenants are responsible for things like yardwork, routinely get letters from the city about weeds / tall grass, etc.Questions for the group:* What am I missing if I were to make out a checklist of an "automated property"?

The problem has never been closer to having large sums of money to address.