In the 90's I traveled and hung out in Miami while promoting parties where everywhere along the coast I remember seeing Motels selling for $25K or $30K with only 3% down sprayed painted on white bed sheets.

Let’s not go into market speculation from SALT and interest deduction effects.

A typical day: Wake up, do some landlord duties as needed (lately it's salting ice or shoveling snow before work), listen to BP podcasts/check BP on the commute, work 9-5, commute home, take care of more landlord duties (keep a list), gym, sleep, repeat.Variable things: Phone calls to contractors or repairmen, phone calls with tenants, running numbers (new potential deals, new ideas, finances/accounting), reaching out/networking, running reports (credit checks, background checks), talking to lenders, replying to BP posts, attending REI meetings, email property managers, and many moreAll of these things are done early morning, during lunch, or after work ^

NASA lives at the whims of the white house's plans for space travel (that prospect looks like it is picking up) Take me with a grain of salt since I am brand new to this and just starting to look but I'd be happy to answer anything i can. 

So if Salt Lake or Logan isn't looking so hot you might need to get creative on how you do the deal.

I obviously don't live in Washington and the concept of a locale telling me I can or cut down a tree is a little foreign to me so take what I say worth a grain of salt. 

I'm new to RE as well so take what I say with a grain of salt.  

Salt lake could be nice, but it is very expensive. 

I almost gutted my house, completely new plumbing, all new electrical, 2 A/Cs, master gut, spray foam insulation, and lots of other stuff done for 135k. 

However, in an college environment the demand is brutal and cyclical.If your property manager is worth his or her salt, they'll understand the ebbs and flows of the university demand.