I travel to Midland/Odessa on a frequent basis for work.

While I would say you're on the right track with your desire to invest out of state (Seattle really is pricey at the moment, like the new SF) I wouldn't get locked into investing somewhere just because you know people there or can travel there easily.

I travel all over the state to do this.  

I also currently work for the airlines so I'm always traveling for fun.

I travel the state a lot.

One big upside is the 10 paid summer weeks.I also plan on taking care of replacing cabinet hardware, installing smoke detectors, hooking up various appliances, and replacing a few light fixtures....

Drawback of Real estate investing it has cycles , and now I believe we on an uptrend. ( nobody knows the top) Even rental income is predictable, repairs and vacancies are unpredictable10%... you know the advertised 10y average for stocks is 7%, most get 5%.. and anyone worth their salt in Real Estate Investing smokes 10% six to ten fold.

They seemed to smoke in the house which is not great, but it is what it is.How would you approach it?

My teenagers prb could use some stability after traveling all over the world for the past three years. 

Watch "Hotel Impossible" on the Travel Channel to get an idea of the issues you will face.Like apartments, the idea is to find a property that has been mismanaged and has deferred maintenance that is charging below market rates with low occupancies in a fairly decent area with good market drivers.