I meet with the mother (80 years old) who had been living in her house for 50 years and just wanted to leave Miami and go up to Alabama to simplify her life/surroundings. 

@Dimitri Wilson as others have said, these out of state investments sound great in paper but for a variety of reasons they are inherently problematic.My one venture in OOS investment had a quick ending when my PM went out on three service calls for the same problem and couldn’t diagnose even the problem.

We signed the papers in her solarium overlooking the waterfront & she cried because she was letting go of what was once her dream. :( I started crying with her & my cousin who was with me as well.My heart really feels for these type of situations.

Don't get discouraged easily and plug away,  research your chosen method and ask questions in here. 

This is an obstacle I'd really like to find a way over or around. 

A property that I'm interested in, here in San Diego, is owned by an LLC that is registered in Wyoming and has a commercial registered agent.

Congrats on your progress so far, you're definitely on your way to becoming one of the examples in her book!

I think it validates the ideas of trust but verify and importance of having a reliable team in place in markets that you can rely on,  especially considering the amount of information you can obtain is inherently limited to exterior of property.       

Downside is assignments are inherently complicated and require you to have a well networked agent to find.

From what I understand an FHA is for first time home owners, so If I get that loan in my name, live in the house for a year then get my wife to get an FHA in her name can I do that?