I'd like to keep my properties within a 30 minute drive from my South Everett residence.A fun fact about me outside of real estate: I love distance running and cycling.

The main reason/difference between this and the delivery of electrical energy is that the losses of transmission of electrical energy are generally less than 1-2% (that's why we use electrical transmission methods over long distances, generally speaking). 

Quote from @Jaycee Greene: Then the question is if you want to deal with a long-distance rental property (I'm assuming the GA place is north of Atlanta, which is at least 5 hours from Fairhope).

I was in a similar spot with a high paying W2 when I first started investing in real estate.I took the principles from BRRRR and Long Distance Real Estate Investing from David Greene's books and went at it.

I ended up going with a market I had already been to, Huntsville, and learned to do long distance real estate investing as well as the BRRRR method.

Yes your advice aligns very well with what I read in David Green's book on Long Distance Investing which was very helpful.

Even though the distance would be a lot farther to travel than initially investing in another Chicago neighborhood, I know the tenant laws are a lot more relaxed out in the suburbs, the average price of property is much lower, and it just feels like a smoother entry point than a large city in general.I'm very interested in multi-family properties to begin my real estate journey and have worked on putting a team together, so I am getting closer to actually acting, not just observing.

Up to now I've put my money into the stock market and I'm looking into diversifying into real estate as well.My current goal (assuming I decide to move forward) is to actively start in a year or two by buying a single modest place as a long-distance investor.

I own 21 doors (all multi-family) They are now that I managed from a distance.

As you are likely aware, water can travel great distances from its source, across pipes and beams within the walls.