. -- Short/medium term low cost of living and long term passive income.--  Pursue art full time within the next 3-7 years. 

Then find "boots on the ground in SJ" who know the city ... in the interim, feel free to bounce any seriously considered deals off me.As a long-distance investor, I would strongly recommend you stay away from Indian Town (North end) .. there are a lot of "cheap" buildings there, but the prospects for the area are muted.

We are moving next month from out of town and trying to find a place to buy long distance has been hard.

There is a deal available to us as we speak which I will get into shortly, but I feel it is unusual in the REI sense a would like to see if I can get some guidance on it.Where I am seeking help and/or advice here is in determining what to do first.

An additional month or two of lost rent will be cheaper than a long distance eviction.

Start by searching the forums here for GATLINBURG and you will find lots of advice or peruse the SHORT TERM RENTAL (STR) forum.

First you have to decide what your reason for investing is So, Decide which kind of investor you want to be (SFR, Commercial, Land, Tax Liens, Passive, HML, Multi-Family, Notes, Fix & Flip, Buy & Hold, "Subject To", apartments, duplexes, assisted living, REOs, Foreclosures, Short Sales), etc.

@Wes Short this will vary from agency to agency.

If you are going to refinance (buy a loan), then you may well consider keeping the condo for a couple of years for long term vs short term capital gains.

Thanks Ask the seller to carry the note (owner financing) for a short period of time while you find other permanent financing.