Real estate is a low-risk and popular investment option.

Omaha is a popular market for out of state investors.

Once I had an idea of the various choices I had before me, then I'd eliminate the ones that don't fit my knowledge, skills, and abilities. 

I don't even have a TV by choice. 

Whatever you want to do post your number, first, lets have a look and don't forget that a huge chunk of your mortgage payment is applied to the principal and this makes a huge difference when crunching your numbers.But...I still try to stay away from single-family homes when the home will not appreciate in value, substantially, but as a previous BP member posted, you still may be better off buying than renting if that is your only choice and cannot buy an investment property that generates a profit almost exponentially compared to a single family home for your personal residence.

Freedom of Choice.

The ball gets placed back in their court and they have the choice to further negotiate, say no we stand by the price you offered, or terminate the contract altogether and you get your earnest money back if they doHope that helps, had a realtor try and tell me this as well

I do and have done both and find the STRs much better, not just because of the money.Of course with STRs you are much more limited in choice of property when you are purchasing.....it is all about location, even more than traditional RE.

I know that is a popular area to invest, relatively drivable for NJ, so you may want to add some of those cities to your Keyword searches.As you are getting started and looking at markets, especially if they are at a distance, keep in mind any connections you already have to that area. 

We also give our owners a choice between using our provider or one of their own if they don't trust ours.