It is more a question of how far away is your son willing to commute or live from everything he knows. 

Other than that anything nice is about a 40-45 minute commute to UNM.

I'll be looking in the Hampton or even Norfolk area (I can do a longer commute for a good deal).

I pushed to have an office slightly south of Seattle because it provides much more opportunities to house-hack (and still be within a 20-minute commute to the office) vs core Seattle/Bellevue, which I believe is the best way to get started in real estate.With each hiring candidate, I intentionally look for and/or instill a real estate passion, otherwise it's just a job to them. 

Look for a bigger place to buy or something closer to your work and then you can honestly tell them you needed more space or a shorter commute.

@Jeffrey Anderson Gil it depends on where you need to get to for work and how far you are willing to commute, a duplex under $500k in a good area of LA is asking a lot. 

2 - How important is the local employment opportunities to a professional that will usually commute and/or work out of their home?

Minimum wage workerscannot afford to live in the middle of New York City There are pockets of low-priced properties in the outskirts of town (middle class neighborhoods)Long-Distance Rental Property investing3 differentstrategies:1.)

Auburn rental has been very good to me located within walkable distance to OTR & Pendleton's many hotspots, breweries, and parks, specifically Zielger Park and Washington Park.

I have a full time job from 6a- till late evening hrs so I can't commute far .