I typically recommend a location that is within 1 mile of a public university, 1 mile of a private university, 1 mile of a hospital, and 1 mile of a major company headquarters.

Anything outside of South Beach (like mainland Miami, 2 miles away) he calls "long distance real estate investing." 

Originally posted by @Miles Smith:I have a home that I have lived in the past few years, but I was recently transferred and no longer live in the home.

However while I love North Linden, I dont like that Brentnel/Mock Rd/Mifflin Twp area.

Key criteria for a successful SFH househack:Suitable zoning criteria, i.e. room rental laws (county by county)Within 1 mile of hospital, major company HQ, public university, and private university (to attract 20-somethings)At least half as many bathrooms as bedrooms (i.e. a 4 bed / 2.5 bath could work, but 4 / 1.5 could get sticky)Plenty of driveway space / street parking (1 per roommate)Plenty of kitchen space (since the kitchen is the most occupied room other than individual rooms)Basement or side entrance entry point (i.e. if you wanted to turn the basement into your living space, you could enter from a side entrance)Un-involved neighborhood community (cul-de-sacs can be the worst spots)Turn-key quality (i.e. you won't need to fix much of anything when you move in)This list is by no means exhaustive, but things to think about when you work with an agent on a SFH househack.

I've heard recently that they've doubled in the city directly north of me.

I live in North Carolina and I am required to keep deposits separate from my normal checking account. if you keep the security deposit in a account that accrues interest some states require you to pay the interest to the tenant when you refund their deposit.

I am 7000 miles away so i cant jump on a plane and go back often.

How far out did you go .5 mile,1 mile, 2 miles, etc?

Any recs for contractors the work with diy investors in north Santa Barbara county?