Hi Vinay, I have been living in the Jersey City/Hoboken area for 14+ years...and also have a few rentals in the area. 

@Peter FirehockI live in the area inside the beltway and developed Oronoco and worked on Robinson Terminal South.

Check those to see who lives the furthest away of the absentee owners and start there (or with the oldest people).

It's probably the best way to get started and learn what it's like to own properties while gaining equity and limiting your living expenses.

Live and learn I guess haha.2.

And I would perhaps instead start with one to make sure it's going to work well.On another note, living near the Swannanoa River myself, your comments about building cabins on a river give me pause.

Not having kids, the property served as a write off as i had moved into an apartment in Phoenix. 18 months after moving to Phoenix i purchased a single family home in which to live in Scottsdale, AZ.

You can give notice to one of the tenants, then move in and rent out rooms to further cut your living expenses.Yes, something I've considered but does require me to move from CA to TN, so big life change. 

Well I’ve been building houses all my life I just turned 21 back in October and I’ve been wanting to get into investment properties for awhile but nobody around where I live does it or if they do they don’t want to give you insight or advice and I’m just nervous about losing money igWhat's the struggle on the four-plex? 

Canton is a great area but I am biased as I grew up in Stark County and now live about a 1/2 hour south.