I'm looking to branch out within WA and tricities caught my attention

They have been great to work with from a relationships standpoint but from an equity stripping and growth standpoint we must branch out.

If it’s like socialized medicine, it just a matter of when the leftist control both the executive and legislative branches.  

May branch out much-much later.

On the flip side, do you think the stability/predictability of the Dayton market could be a positive thing for someone like me to gain some experience and then branch out to a more competitive market like Columbus?

I'm looking to branch out our investing portfolio while also being able to move away from the W2 income, but I'm not sure if we should stick to STRs, or move into LTRs or other.

I can get in touch with the branch manager in your region and make sure you are contacted quickly.Ryan Murphy,I'm sorry you had a poor experience in the Seattle area, I can also make sure you get contacted right away. 

Then, when you have a better idea of your "buy box" and what type of team you need for your particular market and property type, then, I see investors branch out to be investing out-of-state.So...What is the market the YOU know the best. 

Find a local lender, you can start with where you have your money and then branch out, and confirm what you will need to qualify as @Nathan Gesner said above.

Then branch out to do more deals that way for buy and hold rentals once we get settled into our new home.