Another thing to note, my wife and I make combined about 350k so we can afford the monthly payment comfortably. 

If you have a genuine answer for that I am curious to hear. this^^^ if you buy a property you are happy in and can comfortably afford thats fantasic, if it happens to be a good investment as well even better, if you buy an investment property to live in and you don't like living there & the investment goes south, both strong possiblities in baltimore multi family and you've exhausted your life saving's you are triple screwed.

History: We are 6 years into renting our first home, it has gone well and we are comfortable renting and what comes along with that.

Their service, just like any other, is not without drawbacks. (1) I'm not a big fan of their rent collection b/c they make you deposit it into their account and I'm not overly comfortable with an unregulated entity having any say over my money. 

I don't think about them much but take comfort in knowing that in 20 years, they'll be worth a lot more.

Look for areas with strong demand, potential for growth, and where you can comfortably invest.

Or vice versa depending on how comfortable and profitable you would like to be. 

@Jonathan Hong I would be comfortable with $1000, but you have to decide what your risk tolerance is with this.

I'm thinking I can find some lower cost deals in the area too but I need to make sure it's in a location that my fiance is comfortable living in.  

We require all applicants to earn at least $72,000 per year to ensure additional living expenses can be comfortably covered…”