I am driving to my new place, well across the country, (just a small apartment) in 2 weeks.  

At least in my part of the country this is a common practice.

Ive been looking for sometime in various markets around the country and would like to reach out to see what the market is like in Phoenix.

Everyone would do that throughout the country if that were possible so,I am gonna say"no".At least a traditional lender would never do it.Maybe if you borrowed it from a relative and kept the arrangement private and not put a lien on the property could that workout.

Different areas of the country have different requirements and it also depends on what you intend to do with your REI business.  

Yup packages arriving that don't need signature can be problematic, above post is good thought about weight,, have tenant call sender and report it to the sender that received only partial contents, could the sender maybe be sending in 2 shipments and this just a partial shipment.Advise tenant not much else to do than require signature required on packages or have them sent to their job so they can take delivery there.This is a huge issue all over the country, people watch delivery trucks and simply rip off what's been delivered to the door step. 

Return on investment for some c and b areas are still reasonable but just like the rest of the country, prices are on the rise.  

(Not concentrated in certain markets, but spread thin throughout the country.)Important Question:What is the best software for a property renovation management company to manage a widely dispersed network of subcontractors?

Combine that with one of the lowest cost of living in the country and you've got a recipe for investors that is hard to replicate anywhere else.

-I'm an advocate of using smart numbers, not country wide averages across areas that don't mean anything to the area you invest in.