Mine was 120 miles and I made it work by having a team do all the leg work. 

@Michael Lee Thank you for the advice, it was more of a genuine question and less of an advertisement but you have made your point...

Have made some great connections here and learn what is happening in real estate all over the country keeps me up to date and informed in many ways.

Since I will start as a part time investor, I know one of the keys to being successful is to build a team around me made up of successful people that are experts in their fields.

Everyone has made suggestions here and as you can see this site provides great value.

@Andrew R. the NRW 91-01: Withholding on Sale of Real Property by Nonresidents is a good link - I went to bookmark it and found I had already done so in 2012 :)My understanding is that it's "withholding" meaning the seller may get some or all of it back once s/he/they file a tax return in Rhode Island for that year.Also a close reading mentions a possible exemption for sellers 55+"In the event that the sale of the property by a nonresident will not be subject to tax under Sections 121 (One-Time Exclusion - Over 55 Principal Residents)... the nonresident seller must make the gain election and file the RI Form 71.3 Election even though no withholding need be made""If the property Martha was selling was her residence and if she otherwise qualified and intends to treat the sale under Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code (one Time Exclusion Over 55 Principal Residence), she would still have to file the election form 20 days before the closing but would complete the election form and use the special types of transactions area on the back.

The amount you originally paid is irrelevant if you can show the current value is comparable to what is selling today.Emphasize the value you added to the property with the improvements you made. 

Pretty sure you can withdraw any sort of offer/counteroffer at any time since at that point there has been no agreement made and signed by all parties.

The industries that made Ohio great to start with is not coming back there.

Thankfully, I have a background in Customer Support, Sales, and collegiate level athletics which I think all point me in the direction of pursing the world of Real Estate Investment.