WA is not a landlord friendly state, but if you are going to invest in WA, the eastern side has some hot spots like the tri-cities area that may yield good cash flow and appreciation and still be close enough for you to go there when you need to. 

Do you have a family member or friend who's achieved what you want to achieve?

Hi real estate friends,My wife and I recently bought our first home in Co springs area close to garden of the gods and other attractions in the area. to no surprise our interest rate is a whooping 7.1%, the main house has 4 - BD 2 B. our mortgage is $4009. the property we bought has an attached dwelling unit on the side of it, completely independent from the main unit we live in, we are currently renting it out for 2 years for a tenant for $1545, It has one bedroom one bath.My question is what are some ways to scale especially since in the current market (is kind of almost impossible)?

Competence - My best friend is awesome and I'd give him my kids if I got hit by a bus but I won't let him operate on my brain.

Will do my friend! 

This is when i was telling all my friends to buy duplexes - even at higher prices (at the time), because anything you bought made sense with a 2.75% rate.

Buy a 3/2 (if possible), live in the master, rent out the other 2 rooms to friends.

I think I will take both of these directives and try to find a happy medium.As far as photos and advertising, I'm going to make some tweaks to the ad, and I have many friends who are in film who could hook me up with some better photos, or at least the camera equipment I need to do it myself.I have a showing tomorrow, and in the meantime I'll work on a plan for my next move and will post an update as things progress.Thanks again! 

I don’t have an STR myself but have helped a friend set up and manage a couple last year and it’s not as simple as it used to be. 

I was in the military ( making me a veteran now) and during my time in I shared all kinds of living conditions with strangers and friends.