I'm also considering Halethorpe because it's a good commuter location.Some people really like supporting the city in which case , northeast Baltimore would seem to the best place to buy a single family, in my opinion given the taxes situation and given that none of those areas are walkable I’d rather just be in the county and pay Lower taxes, and it’s not like northeast Baltimore is much that much cheaper than Baltimore county, hathorpe is mixed, arbutus is nice, I hate the housing stock there, would rather be in Catonsville if I was considering western Baltimore county. 

I am seeing a lot more people go that route instead of turnkey. 

---Investors always compare/hire people of Craigslist that are uninsured, questionable skills, are unreliable and offer no warranties.

People interested in this type arrangement probably don’t have access to $150,0003.

Typically people think FHA because it's what's thought of as the least amount down which is commonly the goal when we all get started.

It works great for many people -- not me -- but it might be your best option considering your distance. 

Also, do you have 2 people per room, or just one person? 

Starting with something near your market that you know the area, can drive by the property and meet people in person will get you more comfortable with the risk of owning property. 

I just stayed in a hotel in Moab and we had an A/C issue and it took two days to resolve and, honestly, that's not that out of line with my normal experience at hotels.I don't know where people dreamed up this idea that all hotels have someone waiting outside your room ready to resolve anything in 5 minutes. 

There's definitely some opportunity with people wanting to make moves post-storm.