If they had some better photos, it might make me actually drive a long distance to see the homes. ----- Just Curious?

Most of the middle class falls into the trap of two working parents, long time and energy sucking commutes, always stressed for time, buying stuff to keep up, eating out frequently, etc. if you are truly middle class the only thing preventing you from wealth is you (exceptions for major illness or other uncontrollable life events).

My criteria are pretty strict in terms of location for a place I want to live:Walking distance to Newport or ~20 min via public transitNear to PATH (<= .75 mi) to be able to get into ManhattanEverything I’ve seen in the forums leads me to believe any properties in areas meeting these criteria are going to be highly competitive, and I only have about $100k to put down on a purchase.

Not an ideal location for Corporate opportunity....most people who do work corporate jobs commute to the city (Grand Rapids) and this significantly affects how property in Muskegon rents (interest, length of stay, type of renter, etc...)

What have you found are the pros and cons of investing long distance in rental properties?

It's located near a quiet historic downtown with high house prices, but it's also only 2 minutes from the on ramp for the major highway which I believe is a good for commuting to any of the 3 major CT cities that are within a 30min drive from this location.

If you go just south or north of Seattle, you will find nice areas with decent prices, such as Renton, Kent, Des Moines on the south (which I like more than the north with bad traffic and really bad commute) or Bothel, Lynnwood on the north.

ive done it and here is what I will tell you; without the right tools and experience it will look fine from a distance; up close it will look terrible.

You see, I currently wash dishes for a local restaurant chain during the day, bring in barely 1k per month in income (after taxes), a little over half of which goes toward living expenses, and use a bicycle and the local transit system to commute around town since I don't own a car.

I don't buy properties that require an HOA and the utilities are always covered by the tenant.So if I have a market that has 3B/@B homes for $100K the 1% figure I like to apply only tells me that the rent needs to be around $1000/month.When I find properties that fit that criterium, all the other important aspects start coming into play, but all the properties that don't meet the 1% are out.These other criteria include things like the quality of the schools, the distance to restaurants and shopping, the crime rate in the area, the stability of tenants, meaning how long are typical lease agreement.