We could hear sirens in the distance. 

I'm a New Yorker and one of the reasons I invest at a distance, aside from the 2-3% deals, cost of entry etc.....Was the favorable landlord tenant laws.   

I am not big on lying to the tenants about owning the place but if you want some distance you can say you need to discuss with a partner or you can just say let me think about that. 

We both live in Northern Va & the distance is too great for her to own rent & maintain it.

I've found a property close to my old job that I'm going to return to, saving me a 30 minute commute time. also because I previously quit my job that I'm returning to, I have a nice savings that I withdrew from my retirement (7k).It's a 7 bedroom, 2.5 bath, with additional separated 3 bed, 1 bath aparment behind, all sitting on 12k lot with 3500sq ft living space between them. as far as I know it's been built in 1950, but I'm unclear right now what has been updated and permitted correctly.

., decent commute, good school system).

@Sean Maiden if it were me, I’d focus on keeping the commute to a minimum since I do believe it adds up a lot over time.

Traveling long distances is expensive and long stays are common, especially with parents. 

What's vastly different is the property tax, school zoning, and commuter costs.I am very new to RE investing, but my hunch tells me that if the main source of funding for schools in a given school district is the properties and not a commercial sector, this will eat into the potential appreciation.

I am looking into buying a long distance rental property.