You just have to pick your spots.

My tombstone should read: pick efficient investments, not tax-efficient investments.

The idea would be to pick up something in the 650k-800k with an FHA loan.

I have been eyeing a few brokerages around that general location and was wondering if anyone familiar with the area had any recommendations regarding which brokerage to pick, as there are quite a few to choose from.

.- You close on December 10th- The property is in great shape and does not need any significant repairs- It only needs some paint touch-up and changing a couple of broken fixtures, which you do yourself- You spend the next week buying furniture, electronics and supplies and installing/arranging everything yourself- You also roll up your sleeves and scrub the toilets and sinks and appliances- You put it on AirBnB/VRBO and have your first guest renting it for the 3 days of Christmas- You second guest rents it for the following weekend and leaves before NYE- You personally clean and restock the place between these two guestsCongrats!

That name can’t be used in those states if already used so pick something a little off.  

The other two in my post I picked up from OOS investors who had the same property manager as I do.

that's important - a lot of folks want to pick a property on Zillow and buy it just to "do a deal." 

I've done quite a few 1031's and each time I had my three targets already picked which means they were less than two weeks from being signed when I closed on my downleg. 

As far as investing out of state goes, I would pick something you can drive to in 4 hrs or less.