Hello, my name is Kyle Hardie and I live in Fairmont MN. 

If I were investing in eastern WA, or where my extended family lives in Pennsylvania, those 100k houses in good condition are a real thing there.  

Convert the property you are living in now to your second rental, and buy a new home for yourself. 

I too live in Asheville, so Sapphire was closer than Cashiers and Highlands.

@Jarrod OchsenbeinIt's great to hear that you are succeeding with the co-living model.

I am putting in a link to something that may be help, a cost of living comparison calculator (https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculat...). 

I currently live in the Bay Area, but I’ve decided to start investing in the Jackson County/MO area.

I live in California (Central Coast) and have built a 12-door portfolio in Detroit, which has been a great market for both cash flow and long-term potential.Detroit still offers properties well below the $150k mark, with strong rent-to-price ratios and a market that’s seeing growth in key areas.

I live in New Jersey area.

The loan is with you, not with your tenant, so none of that means anything to them - in fact because you live in one unit and it's under 4, if you were self-managing you don't even have to abide by fair housing laws (at least on the federal level).