As soon as I get the paint taken care of, the wood floors are going to need refinishing.

Really you need to make sure you have bills in your name and postage sent to that house and there is not much a lender will do to argue where you live if they ever were to care.

Just be careful that it could subject you to an additional income tax return in each of those states as well if you decide to do that.

I've had prospective tenants deterred by that, but many don't care that much and are willing to manage.

Nobody cares about what you say you have done, people care about what you have done when you can show it.

Thats how I took care of it when it happened to me. 

I started my company called T&C Lawn Care.

If occupied, establish a professional relationship with the owner (caution--if listed with another office or agent, be careful not to set on any toes). 

While Caterpillar, Raytheon, and Amazon have garnered much attention as they start or expand operations in Tucson, less attention has been given to companies like Vector Space Systems, Home Goods, Hexagon Mining, Comcast and Ernst & Young which collectively will bring 2,500 jobs and over $1.5 billion of economic impact to the local economy.

The only ways I would buy out of town is to buy a minimum of 30 units in an apartment complex so you can have enough money to hire a property management company that will take care of the daily stuff.