So unless I have stellar deals, investing in my own town seems like a poor choice given the landscape here.Which leads me to my next obstacle; figuring out how to invest out-of-city/state.

I would take my friend out for a nice, thick steak at a restaurant of his choice!

Hi Domenic - you've made a wise choice pursuing real estate!

My personal choice is Deanna's first option.

@Sarah Doogle we made poor choices (see the kitchen story).The real issue is that we need a network of trusted tradespeople.Everyone we meet is quoting us $2800 to sand and refinish a 600sqft space.We can pay for a reasonable job at a fair price.

Yes, there are the obvious choices, buy near universities (in Cluj), but the Anual Rent / Purchase Price is closer to 0.5, not 1 and thus the cashflow is at best positive.How did you make the math work?

Are they satisfied with their choice? 

They have offered to do property management but I have chosen a PM of my choice to oversee repairs and manage it for me.

Given the choice between eviction and money in her pocket, she might pick money in her pocket. 

Pick who you want to learn from, good luck with your choices. :)And   Kerry, regardless of what you claim, your endorsements are in plain sight on your previous posts, I can pick out what you said that is nothing less than an endorsement for that junk, your problem is you don't like it being pointed out.