Plus it would have to be a banger of a property for me to have that kind of confidence in it going the distance through all the market cycles, regulation changes, OTA market shifts etc at which point I may as well buy it.Which circles back to my original point- if I am not owning and benefiting from the appreciation, why should I absorb so much risk and upfront capital if instead I can find an underperforming property with potential, take a guaranteed return off the top and invest almost no money on my side? 

Baltimore is a more affordable market for those like myself that work in Metro DC and don’t mind the commute.

As everyone is well aware the cost of investing in California is astronomical so I’ve turned my attention to long distance investing. 

Building more roads for hour commutes is not how people want to spend their time.

I’m based in Los Angeles, CA, but the distance didn’t matter at all because she was always responsive, proactive, and kept me in the loop every step of the way.

I think if you can write a solid letter of explanation stating that you are going to commute to Colorado from Washington for 4-5 months out of the year for your job (and why), that should be sufficient enough to run this as a primary residence. 

I agree that looking online is only going to get you so far, but I am trying to educate myself as much as possible before taking the next step.I am early on in the process where I am looking at areas that are long distance, as I live in a HCOL area.

This duplex is walking distance to the ocean and will be a great long term rental for me.Purchase Price: $400,000Owner Financing: 5.0 percent interest only with a 5 year balloonMoney down: $90,000Repairs Costs: $35,000Cash Flow:  $632/moCoC ROI: 5.96%

Make sure to checkout all the materials under the "learn" tab, especially the podcats, great for those long commutes.

I’m based in Los Angeles, CA, but the distance didn’t matter at all because she was always responsive, proactive, and kept me in the loop every step of the way.