I might have to settle for a small Townhouse but I prefer SFH.I have the same fear and nervousness as you about my first investment property being OOS.  

In preferred order our lender uses, tax returns, current leases, a letter form us stating what the rent will be.

I swing by once a month to check the salts, chlorine, AC filters and to make sure everything is working as expected and to collect rent if they prefer to give a check rather than CashApp/Venmo.

@Eric J PlatterMost note investors filter by state based on their preference of state to invest in.

Single family home with good maintenance will always be the preferred place for people to live.  

This can be preferable many times if the gain is large enough and/or there would be a large amount of depreciation recapture.

Or is it preferable if the lender is from the same state?

Or is it preferable if the lender is from the same state?

Personally, I prefer docusign and I pay for the premium version- ease of use and I don't need email reminders etc. 

My current loan preference is a fixed 30-yr loan.