However, that would mean a long commute for my son.

That will impact any future offer prices.I bought a townhome with a broken lateral that was a short distance to the main.

You also have states like Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Nevada, all depending on your comfort level in distance or rental type.

I am trying to house hack (3.5% down, owner-occupied, rent other rooms) in the Bay Area (driving distance about an hour from Redwood City and SF).

With over 3 million square feet of retail space soon to be available, the closure marks a significant shift in the retail landscape.The company, which rebranded in 2022 to distance itself from past legal controversies, including a 2015 class-action lawsuit over unsafe laminate flooring, ultimately could not overcome its financial hurdles.

Quote from @Faris Wright: Have you read "Long-Distance Real Estate Investing" by David Greene?

From a “landlording” lens, however, I’d recommend recruiting a solid team of locals (e.g. attorneys, leasing agents, property managers, contractors, etc.) who can help you with closing, leasing, maintenance, repairs, and capex.New construction and turnkey assets are also popular among long-distance investors, since you either won’t have to do much maintenance or capex at the outset (in the case of new construction) or can work with a single, full-service point of contact (in the case of a turnkey property).

Lot's of people work from home and the need for a financial district and commuting to the city is now a thing of the past for most. 

Once the infrastructure improves where people can live near where they work and commute times are under 30 minutes there could be a return to the office.

Capturing a large swath of possible renters from military to commuters into DC.