I currently live in WA state and invest out of state for buy and holds.

Quote from @Ryan Moyer: Quote from @Nick Velez: Hey Anthony,I have a few STR's in Gainesville and have lived here for about 7 years now and know several people with STR's as well.

When you live in that duplex for 2 years and then sell you'll be able to take 50% of the profit tax free (the allocation for the side you lived in). 

Plenty of calculators out there for free and forums/groups on social media. 

If you are not planning to live in the property, then you are not going to qualify for an FHA loan.

In my experience, a large percentage of them are fully functional adults that refuse to take personal responsibility for their lives, which is why they are receiving free rent from taxpayers instead of working for a living.

I went owner occupied either conventional or FHA.  3-5% down at the time you only had to live there 1 year and then you can move out or move on. 

If you are buying to live in, you could also do FHA with a cosigner.

I have a client that lives in Hawaii but owns a property in DC area.

I live in the Tyler, TX area, but I hold my mortgage licenses in Pennsylvania and Texas.