In the near future, we’ll be visiting The Shoals area in northern Alabama, where we’re considering a potential move this spring.

With my in-laws living in Augusta,  I visit the area a few times a year, and it definitely seems like there’s some potential in the market.  

If that's the case I would not at all be assured of a court victory. 

For example, if she can't visit the property, is she good at record keeping (so everything is organized at tax time) or finding vendors, comparing product prices, finding free or low cost items on Facebook marketplace to improve the rental)3. emergency fund.

I visited detroit this summer and I was surprised on how nice downtown Detroit was.

We are preparing our schedule to start visiting, and we sre planning to start with Rochester!

Give you a cool place to visit (and potentially write off).

It's in an area we love and visit.

Mine was also out of state, in a town I’d never visited, and I relied heavily on videos from my agent.This sounds like a tough first deal, but it seems like you have some capital on the side, which will be useful as you face the upcoming challenges and learn from those expensive early mistakes.Regarding the subject of this post, “help me adjust my expectations,” I’d recommend assuming that; repairs will cost twice as much as you estimate, maintenance and vacancy rates will likely double from your initial projections, there’s a very real chance you may lose money on this deal.That said, there are ways to mitigate these risks by:- Keep asking questions here on BP and connecting with local experts- Stay proactive and communicative with your agent and property manager.And remember “Inspect what you expect.”Im not trying to discourage you but to help reset your expectations.

@Zachary Scalzo I have an MTR in Chesapeake and am interested, but when I try to visit your site it won't come up.