Some things to be aware of:- Zoning: As others noted, it is now much more difficult to find a home in the correct zoning for STRs.

Monarch is offering 50% off right now with code Mint50 which in my opinion is a steal. 

That's why I'm looking at Baselane now (which is free), and possibley Quicken for Biz & Personal (which is $6/mo).

My tips for investing out of state1.

We are currently doing this process now in San Diego!

@Cheryl A Perna- thanks ...the proeprty will need to be a condo as there are no SFRs in the downtown area you mention ...condo market in seattle  is  much softer  than the  SFR market right now ...its a buyers  market with many units for sale ...the price ranges are still high and if you want to try to break even with renting it part time - it may be tough to do   especially  when factoring HOA dues into it  . 

Now that I have more time on my hands and some additional disposable income, I am looking to jump back into learning about real estate!

Also, because the house is financed, you now owe less on the property and therefore have more equity built into the house!

My wife and I have been househacking in Hagerstown (also North End) for about 3 years now and we've loved it.

I've been passionate about real estate investing for about a year now, and I'm particularly passionate about property management.