These sellers hand you the keys and stay out of the way until its time to sign a contract. 

I believe that she would have stayed with him if she had not been paid to leave him.Tuff topic I know.

Can you stay where you are?

Had my inspections done a month or two ago and they checked about a dozen items per property that had to be corrected and told us the properties were deemed "uninhabitable" until then and no one could stay in them.

Starting out, staying in your own backyard has many advantages.

Constantly manage bookkeeping and cash flow to make sure you stay on budget and/or make adjustments when (not if) things come up to stay on track.  

This is also the best thing, because many out of state investors find it confusing and stay away, which keeps our returns much higher and wards off Wall Street investors from buying up swaths of houses, which we've seen in other markets.As an STR specialist, keeping up with zoning and regulation statewide is a huge part of my job.I also host monthly short term rental events for local investors, monthly webinars, and I also often get furnished, turnkey off-market STR properties.

The reality is I would not plan to quit your job, stay in it as long as possible.

These have ACH collection systems build in along with numerous other benefits to make your life easier. 

Stay active, keep learning, and get advice from people or pros you trust.Good luck!