From what you've said about not wanting to drop 30% of your income on primary residence it sounds as if you have made your decision

Sorry for the late reply, We are just finishing up a full rehab on our personal residence and have been working long days trying to get done so we can move back in.

I reside in Encinitas, CA which is a little town in San Diego County.

I bought my first house in MA where I reside, but have had fear of purchasing an income property.

I use "great schools' as a rental tool - tells us a fair amount of where our residents want to live. 

It lot easier to get on primary residence in Texas. 

Hello Westchester County, NY investors-I am looking for a mentor who is interested in exchanging expertise...Who I am:-Full time College Counselor for high school students- looking to get into real estate investing to (one day soon) be financially free-Wife of a medical student- we will be relocating based on his residency match next year. 

if I rented my primary residence it would take much longer!

I’ve also been known to drive past their current residence to see how they maintain it if they fill out an application as part of my screening process. 

The only deal I am working on is currently my primary residence, which I am planning on refinancing and turning into a rental as we will be purchasing a slightly bigger home for our growing family.I just recently stumbled upon BP recently and am so glad I did.