If you are simply buying for a lifestyle investment, then you have much more leeway in what/where you might consider buying.

Your life style has lead you to this situation and you must change your lifestyle in order to be successful with real estate. 

Or do you get all of the information in your life from Reddit?

The Shoals is a great place to settle down and take life slow.

You might want to get in touch with @Andrew Freed and Jonathan Bombaci, they are locked into several of the MA meetups which are great ways to connect with other investors in real life.

If you live paycheck to paycheck and do all this you are never going to become an investor because you aren't willing to change your lifestyle now for something you can have in a few years.  

However, if it is an STR, the depreciable life would be 39 years.

I'll be bouncing back and forth between the two cities over the next four months before I move in order to get life set up and trying to learn the city... and hopefully find my next project. 

What stage in life and in investing are you are questions I think you should ask yourself to get a clear picture.

Don't make your life more complicated than it has to be.