I live in Columbus, Ohio but they have clients all over the country.

Those are both popular placed that residents in the Bay Area are moving to which I'm sure you're aware of.I know many people see it as more work, but if short term rentals (AirBnB) is an option for you, Texas has areas in the Hill country that can cash flow and appreciate very well. 

However, as a single man in my 30's, the suburbs is not the best place to set a base.4th option is to buy a small apartment or multifamily in a much less expensive part of the country where its not such a cyclical market and my leverage can go a lot further.

If you, can without paying for anything check out their Facebook group, thousands of testimonials from people all over the country.

I've done it for 10+ years while being in different countries, on planes, timezones, etc.  

By all accounts I've read AL has one of the lowest property tax rates in the country.

Yep, pretty much the story across the country.

My future plans have changed and I’m going to be moving across the country in the next 6 months and the 2 things I was considering doing were: 1) rent the house out for the next 3 years, then sell and the Owner Occupant Sales Exlusion will still apply or 2) just sell the house when I move.

Investment Info:

Other buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $220,000

Cash invested: $20,000

Beautiful cottage bought at 220k and double the value in 2 years.

What made you interested i...

There are still markets around the country with houses for sale under $100,000 but it takes work to find them and it takes a lot of work to manage them because they are lower-class properties.Consider reading "Set for Life" by Scott Trench for some ideas on improving your financials and getting started in an expensive market.