I have helped many investors purchase LTRs in Little Rock,AR, Memphis,TN, and OKC.

I may at somepoint consider utilities like energy and water, and how I can become more self sustaining, purchasing stocks is one way I can make my money back, or obtain ownership in what I am spending on in terms of utilities. 

Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Hello all, I recently purchased a condo on the east side of Madison from a foreclosure sale auction.

Have you done work to the property for ARV to increase since purchasing?

I am 1600 miles away from three residential properties I just purchased in Jackson, Mississippi. 

If I sold, I think it would be by a hair that I can offload the property for the balance despite a tax value of $440,000, but it would get it off my books completely and free up my VA loan to purchase again. 

It seems that if you can find a good deal on the purchase price, are willing to do cosmetic updates (floors, painting, maybe a kitchen) you can get that 100-200/month cash flow.  

Quote from @Paul Whitehurst: Many will tell you to borrow money from Property A to purchase Property B, but that's known as over-leveraging and not recommended for a newer investor.

Although the list may seem intensive, I look at it like this: The total cost of all these items can be much lower than the cost to repair a hidden surprise after purchasing a property to flip.