The push to start renting it out is so I can start building a rental income history so I can buy another property sooner than later.

Their income met our criteria at the time but they didn't have long enough employment history.

What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.?

If you must move to invest (which you don't need to) then I would suggest some place in the South Eastern US.

Hey everyoneI'm interested in investing in some 1 to 2 bedroom condos/co-ops in central to Eastern long Island. 

I think a lot of investors actually "lose their shirts" in Baltimore often and its reflected in the sales history of many properties.  

Makes it very easy to export all your deposits into Excel / accounting software at the end of the year and do your taxes.Personally I have the local bank hold the mortgage too, so when it comes time for another purchase or refi, they already have the rent roll history.

Full disclosure, I just placed tenants in my first rental, so I don't have a huge history to pull from, but if there is anything I can help with, let me know. 

Dave Please do, it's the greatest podcast in the history of humanity!

@Zach Talke If you're considering both Boston, MA and Austin, TX, I'm going to take a wild guess and say weather doesn't matter all that much to you - or maybe you haven't thought that part through.I'm Boston born and have lived in eastern MA all of my life.