You would still save more money 9 out of 10 times living with your parents but being able to leverage a low down payment loan will allow you to get a very high ROI on relatively safe investment. 

This is expensive but you'll have a place to work and meet with people when you're in town that matches your online presence.

If you decide to revisit STRs, you might want to explore properties where you can project expenses independently, such as using local STR forums or online tools to estimate maintenance, management, and occupancy costs.For networking and strategy-building, you might find local meetups or groups beneficial.

Is it public record that I can find online?

If you've got to ask a question on an online forum about managing an out of state or out of country renovation, you aren't ready to do this on your own.

Rehab contractor charged $10K, the online report says $16K.

Better to be safe than sorry.Additionally, do you all generally use a smaller income criteria if the rent is inclusive of utilities?

It is a very safe town.

The property was purchased in 2021 for 1.1 million, was appraised in the summer of 2024 for 2.2 million, and reports from online appraisal websites say it could currently be around 3 million.

, the more likely people will respond with valuable insights.Network actively: Join local investor meetups, online forums (like BiggerPockets), and social media groups focused on real estate to start engaging in conversations.Be open to learning: Real estate investing is a dynamic field, and the more you learn, the more you'll realize there’s to know!