I currently work remotely as a Manufacturing and Quality Manager for an AI infrastructure company based out of the Bay Area. 

Even if rents are trending up, if your tenant base can't make ends meet, the asset won't perform.

Are you basing this solely on what you can afford, or what you intend to make on it, or your target sale price? 

If you’ve yet to build up substantial credit in the U.S. you can apply for foreign national specific loans that don’t take credit history into consideration when qualifying as in some circumstances you can get better rates and terms applying as a FN when your U.S. based credit history is in it’s infancy.

If the answer to the last question is yes, I think it'll be a hard choice.I see a reasonable appreciation rate for underwriting at about 6% based on neighborhood scout, so nominally I think you'll make 10-11% if you had paid cash which means I think you'll do quite well holding on (20% returns or so). 

How limited is your knowledge base?

Basically, the further you get away from the city the more potential for cashflow, but you're also dealing with a different tenant base that may be tougher to manage.

If you choose to play with fire, that is your perogative.For your reference, here is a good primer.Here is the key paragraph:Rental discrimination is when a landlord or property manager treats an applicant differently based on the applicant’s inclusion in a protected class.

I recommend selecting an investment city based on the following criteria.Key Criteria for Choosing an Investment CityRents Must Outpace InflationFinancial freedom depends on rental income growing faster than inflation.

To improve your approval chances, use rental income from your first property, consider co-signers, and explore lenders that use Income-Based Repayment (IBR) for student loans.