Both bathrooms had pink/blue tile (retro from the 60/70s lol).

A lot of this will depend on your (and your spouse's if applicable) job security.Freelance, self-employed, start-up vs government, union, blue chip tenure, etc. 3-6 months basic living expenses as personal reserve. 6 months if riskier employment situation. 

I have a family in and around Blue Ridge, Hiawassee, and Blairsville, so I'm focusing on those rural areas.

I think ABC, They picked a city out of the blue, and sent Robert there to use his no money down.

Foreigners are not allowed to buy property near the ocean at all. they can however buy property in the inner parts of Mexico, you just need a bank or lawyer to be the trustee.  

I personally invest (rehab to sell) in Bergen County over to Sussex and then down to Ocean with everything in between.

@Swaraj Raichowdhuri Sorry to jump in on your discussion out of the blue.

Also, the quality of landscaping on the lot.The topography/geography of the lot and surrounding area --for instance, is it on a majestic bluff overlooking the ocean with million-dollar views, or is it a flat lot overlooking a flat empty field?

As mentioned, absentee owners are not generally selling, no matter how convincing you are when you call them out of the blue.

I'd love to be able to do a 1031 exchange to buy a condo with a view of the ocean, someplace affordable, such as Florida and be able to have someone manage the entire short-term rental of the property while I'm not using it as a vacation home.