I won't work a warzone, but we will work some border zones, and of course we love the higher end stuff too...

@Rachel LuotoGood question, I share your pain and fully understand the predicament at hand.Yes, I too faced the same situation as a New Yorker and decided to take the road less travelled and invest in Atlanta.However, Adam Bartomeo also has a point and you can extend your search beyond Washington to the States bordering it and move outwards if necessary.Frankly, this type of investing can be challenging, but, equally rewarding and it allows for scalability of your funds.I personally manage my out of State holdings, because of my skills and capabilities, but, you have to think of engaging property management if these attributes are lacking on your part.

however, 45 minutes driving from Surrey is as far south as Bellingham, assuming you live in South Surrey or White Rock and there's no wait at the border.  

It's on the southern border of Highland Park.

Despite bordering a busy street and active railroad tracks, they sold for $222K - $248K each.

I did a title search on the property and found a few concerning items that could make this deal complicated:-There are two mortgages on the house-The house is not in the name of the current sellers, it was apparently their recently deceased father's house.

I am very new to real estate investing and I was wondering if there was anyone out there that is familiar with getting vacant properties from deceased people.

T & I is $317, HOA is $339, so monthly cash flow is (-64) plus a couple hundred bucks a year if the toilet clogs or something.I feel like I'm letting the favorable tax treatment at sale and the low mortgage rate guide my decision to keep the property, since negative cash flow is never ideal for a rental - but I also love how low maintenance it is, and I can also see myself moving back into the unit one day if I ever get divorced or if my husband pre-deceases me.    

Not a lot of flips happening on that side of the border, so it could be a moot point anyways.

Be careful when looking in Hyde park as it borders up against areas of the city that will make it more difficult to flip your house for top dollar.