Quote from @Jimmy Rojas: I live in Arizona and homes here are sky high, youd be lucky to get %6 interest rate, I would be a 1st time home buyer, apart from being 1099 employed would Trumps real estate plans benefit the little guys like me? 

A debt service loan would be a good option if your DTI is high, you want to close in an LLC, you're self-employed or have low income on paper, or you don't have a stable 2-year work history.

Where to get the most recent and accurate data for things like:Unemployment dataPopulation growthJob diversity and top employers in the areaVacancy rates (eg huduser.org)Property taxes and jnsurance costsI saw bp pro and reventure and a bunch of other websites provide some of this data, but i wonder how accurate and recent it is.

Hubby self-employed. .stressed out, Thelma  

The USA is a petroleum based economy.

.: Wild idea based on a property in my local market.

I'm based in Charleston and am frequently in Columbia.

@Jefferson Black- thanks ..based on the post I am not sure if the MH is your primary home or an investmenet property ?? 

Residential RE is based on what your neighbors pay so if you are all in less than they are every time you are doing well

If you do choose to invest out of state, the best advice I could give you based on what I have observed running a local real estate group here for over a decade is build your own team.