The items need not be high-end; they can be sourced affordably without compromising visual appeal.

Jack Bosch and a lot of the land flipper guys who teach it like to have their students buying in the high deserts and remote areas of the Western US  or in FLA like le High Acres etc. this is were cheap land is and land that gets traded constantly at tax sales.. the play for most of them is really simple.buy at tax sale or with direct mail.. for a few grand  re-market them for more and sell on terms and collect monthly payments.. 

In this high-interest rate/high-price market, house-hacking is more about offsetting as much cost as you can.

Hi All,I am considering distance investing due to the cost of entrance being a little high in my locale.  

Second option, if it's even valid, I could build a new house in one of these new communities and then have the house for another few months and sell it (assuming that it would have increased in value) Any input to any of these two strategies would be highly appreciated!

Zillow, Trulia seem very high!

I had a conversation not that long ago with a friend who I've known since high school. 

I am encountering roadblocks when it comes to our credit score (mine is good / his is crap), experience with flipping (I have no experience / he has 22 years of flipping experience) and the amount of cash liquidity that some of the hard money lenders want is still on the high end especially starting out.

The taxes will be higher in Texas on property than you realize, and obviously, they are high here in Chicago as well.

I've also considered the high desert but have never looked at properties there.Good Luck!