Or maybe the home of your dreams with an additional dwelling unit that you can rent out to soften the mortgage.It's all dependent on what you're comfortable with vs. how little of your mortgage you're willing to pay.

New entrants to the landlording world will likely be most affected due both to learning curve and cost basis.Since you are in Kitsap CO,  Bremerton is probably your best market for investment real estate;  there are usually several small rental complexes available over there an any given time;   its certainly on my radar  (as while I'm in seattle,  I will no longer invest in seattle) but there are also other secondary/tertiary markets that might be worth looking at;  just make sure that the area has a decent economic situation,  and/or the property you invest in is substantially more desirable that most of its competitive segment is so that if things soften up economically,  you are still holding a property people will want to live in if they have lots of options.There are also other types of RE investing - commercial, out of state, flipping,  etc which depending on you and your husbands interests, skill set, and risk tolerance could be worth looking at. 

There’s no cushion for cost-overruns, softening in the market (thus a lower sales price and increased DOM), or any other unexpected hiccups that ALWAYS occur.  

And while the GP may or may not have had some skin in the game, I'm sure they collected a handsome fee for 5 years that will soften the blow.

Take it a step further and add landscaping around the patio to soften the space.

So now I have to break out the torch and heat up the fitting to soften the plastic to remove it .

It’s not like adding a water softener or a reverse osmosis machine.

We're in a softening market now where many developers are actually raising commissions.I can go on and on about these topics but this hits most of it.

Offering some justification for your low offer (i.e. necessary repairs, comps, etc.) before you make it can help soften the blow as well as if you note up front that you are an investor and what you offer are quick, easy closings for cash (or something like that), not price. 

I have had a few clients want to pull the plug on contracts out of fear, but I have had far more reach out and tell me that they have been sitting on cash and are ready to jump into scaling into more STR properties if whatever is going on in the world results in a softening in purchase prices.Moral of the story (and the data), keep your eyes on the numbers and your head clear of emotions when it comes to investing in any economic circumstance, whether they are favorable or slightly scary!