I am curious to learn how these operations are managed from abroad.From what I've seen, it's 100% possible to invest in real estate in the United States remotely.

We charge a transparent monthly fee for this and our digital property management platform - but we are not a local property manager.We also give owners the ability to use a repair triage service and our vendor network, or address repairs with their own handyman.Our goal is to make renting better for owners and residents.

Something many new investors don't think about is that property managers usually negotiate volume discounts for some of this stuff.

Meet with financial advisers/wealth managers and see what other options other than real estate there are and how to best allocate / diversify. ie have you maxed out your TFSA?

Why hasn't your property manager already answered this question?

Taking small, manageable steps now will help you make informed decisions when you're ready to invest.Good luck!

That means learning how to vet a manager.

I'm certainly cognizant of the risks of managing a property remotely (my wife and I did rent out our Chicagoland house for a couple years while living in STL).

To rent the home, I would lose about $2,500 per month (based on comparable rents in my area, property management fees, etc).Both options loose the same amount by roughly 2 years, and by this time, I still will not have built up much more equity in the home to make selling it a break even unless there is price appreciation by then.My dilemma is this: I speculate that my home will not appreciate much in the next 3-5 years due to the rapid pace of development in the surrounding area.In 5-10+ years, maybe, but by then I'll have bled $150,000 - $300,000.I have thought about this a lot and feel that I mar'-too close to the problem to see the best solution.

As you suggest lowering down payment to buy more properties is one way, although the downside is greater risk in event of down cycle and more time to manage required.