I got the tip from a Property Manager that I trust, but I had no faith that it would make a difference.  

If no such statement and receipts, or copies thereof, are furnished to the lessee as required by this Section, the lessor shall return the security deposit in full within 45 days of the date that the lessee vacated the premises.Upon a finding by a circuit court that a lessor has refused to supply the itemized statement required by this Section, or has supplied such statement in bad faith, and has failed or refused to return the amount of the security deposit due within the time limits provided, the lessor shall be liable for an amount equal to twice the amount of the security deposit due, together with court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.

There is nothing wrong with starting out of state, the main reason against it is that if you aren't an investor, and know how to analyze deals, what to look for in inspections, have never managed a property, etc... you are putting your faith in the hands of people who are states over, and you can't easily get to if something goes wrong.

YOLO....memes.Lesson dont put too much faith in Real Estate agents. 

Anyone trying to throw doubt on the reality of this Promised Land found himself being attacked as if he had blasphemed about a religious faith or love of country.As the crowd piling into the market grew, brokerage house offices grew more than doubled - from 700 in 1925 to over 1,600 in 1929 - mushrooming across the country into such places as Steubenville, Ohio; Independence, Kansas; Amarillo, Texas; Gastonia, North Carolina; Storm Lake, Iowa; Chickasha, Oklahoma, and Shabbona, Illinois.

All that to say, don't put a ton of faith in "the market" since you most likely make up somewhere between 10-50% of said market. 

As an investor at purchase on a $700k purchase, I have never had closing costs as high as $6k so expect less and the title company or escrow company can provide you with a GFE (good faith estimate) of your closing costs.

Rather than demanding guaranteed certainty, have faith in your ability to adapt.

Reducing roth IRA investments (in mutual funds/lifecycle funds) is putting a lot of faith in just one investment type.As young as I am, cutting retirement savings massively reduces available sum at 59.5.

Make copies, keep record, and show good faith @Oscar Cortez :) I provide a CSV to my tenants.