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

If you're going to live in it for a bit and fix it up you can adjust accordingly.

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

.: I live near Nice France half the year.

Use tools like the VA loan for house hacking and your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to cover living costs while building equity.

@Benjamin Goodman gives a good example referencing live in flips. 

Here are a few innovative strategies that have been game-changers for my portfolio:- Co-Living Spaces: With affordability concerns rising, co-living setups are attracting young professionals and students.

We help our clients:1) Find a fixer-upper to buy2) We get bids3) Negotiate a Scope Of Work with the owner using "Maintain to the Neighborhood" to avoid over-improving, but understanding we will have to pass city Rental Inspection to avoid being a slumlord.4) Provide multiple jobsite videos to show progress and document WHAT was done and the QUALITY.5) Handle passing city Rental Inspection6) Find a tenant with a Replacement Guarantee per Class7) Assist with refinance, so client can repeatSo, why you looking OOS again?

.: I'm an American living and working overseas.

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