Our cost of living is low, rent being our highest ticket item.

You don't need to share all the details up front, but you should certainly share some of the big-ticket items like to prevent people from wasting their time or yours.If someone wants to apply, email them the link along with your screening policy.

I liked the fact the the condo was close to the airport as I have a lot of connections with flight attendants How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

For my first investment I did an inspection only to see what I was up against and I was personally going to be living in the property for the first 6 months so I wanted to make sure there were no big ticket items that needed to be replaced upfront.

My golden ticket!

Another reason for Chicago, if you decide to invest in another market and live in Chicago you'll most likely find a direct flight to that market from one of the airports.

There are very substantive reasons why there are so many out of state investors residing in California, and what happens daily in Sacramento drives the flight of capital....

Only reason I did it was that its an OOS so its a bit harder having a "call list" for repair companies etc.The price is high.... you still pay some $$ each repair..... they hire the worst companies to do the repairs and they band aid it as long as absolutely possible.......Yes, every now and then you may "win the lottery" and get a big ticket item fully replaced, so you save a ton of $$ but its rare......

Treat the cost of those plane tickets and coffee dates as an insurance policy.  

When we were considering where to invest, and whether or not to self manage those investments, proximity by car or flights was a huge factor.