The risk increases the further you go from home, so I'd just stay home if I were you.

I am looking to stay in the 250-350 range.

Greetings and stay focused and united. 

I see 3-5 as a fad.Fractional ownership - way to much overhead for these to be profitable. think "timeshare".STR in non traditional markets - running a STR is a business and real estate, boils down to location location location - who would want to go to a conference and stay in a STR vs. the hotel where the conference is at, most businesses pay for this I do not see why.Mixed use with green - this has been going on for years- it will continue but it is also more expensive to build - which means higher costs to use.Not trying to be debbie downer, I have seen these attempted to be done in the past and they really have not been successful.I do really like the BTR model though as I continue to see that as a very good option in the future. 

I grew up in RI and my dad is a carpenter in the area (was as my parents recently moved to FL) but that got me into that market with some local presence as I stayed in the Boston area. (4) properties and 14 units later, I still find myself investing in RI as the price point is about half of Boston but the cash flow is similar.

You need to know how to analyze property and then systematically evaluate property on a daily or weekly basis to stay on top of the market. 

We offered our impacted tenants a hotel room while we were awaiting repairs, but both tenants decided it was easier to stay put. 

Even if you have a good framework, it's much harder to manage virtually and stay on track.

I currently own a few properties here in Bryan-College Station, I have a full time sales job so try to stay as passive as possible. 

You could live in one unit and rent out the others to offset your mortgage, staying within your $4,500/month affordability limit.