I am a mechanical engineer in Green Bay.

I bet the majority on this site are use to reading "I'm a newbie" or "what do I do now" and I don't want to sound like that but... lol.I'm an inspiring, green and impressionable real estate tycoon, like the Monopoly man(awesome top hat included).

Simply click the green vote arrow under a person’s avatar on the left of a forum post!

It has certainly provided some education in managing tenants but essentially I'm completely green.  

Get the right deal up front with an understanding of what your ARV will look like based on local comps and you're in the green.

@Spencer Hsu neighborhoods can be distinguished by economics and crime(Trulia Green - Red).  

Does it feel like Florida... like the tropical paradise we were interested in?

*Note, i lived in this house for a while before i flipped it.The buyer kept saying how cool it was that i put a mosaic back splash behind the tub. it was a simple green lizard design, wading in a pool.  

Hey @Jay Green I feel you!

Population growth is a big one, you want to be somewhere that's growing, since that creates pressure on prices and rent long-term and ensures a stable tenant pool.Price/rent ratio, average home price, and net job growth are several other things to look in to.Consider getting David Greene's Long Distance Real Estate Investing book - it has a whole chapter on analyzing out-of-state markets.