But it sounds like, as I expected, as long as I get in with an understanding brokerage I will be able to run my investment business the way I want, and without to much constraint. 

Hi all -- I'm considering a deal in northern new jersey and it's my first multifamily investment so I'm looking for some help.List price  --- $320,000Est. rehab costs --- $100,000Taxes --- $9,500/yrMonthly Rental Income --- Unit 1 (3bd/2ba) $2500; Unit 2 (1bd/1ba) I'm going to live in but I think could rent for $1500.Great location downtown within walking distance of restaurants, trains/buses to NYC.

We drove through Tacoma to view homes I'd saved on Redfin at a distance and found that some neighborhoods at a cursory glance seemed worrisome and others seemed fine.

I'm sure as you know, everything is within walking distance, and it's a very big food/bar scene, but not in a negative way.

No matter where you live there is most probably a property you can purchase within a short distance of you (i.e. no more than 2 hours).

I can tell you from experience that if you are going to manage your rental from a distance you have to be into it 100%.

Other than that I think you should target locations that are walking distance to downtown or Harbor point.

Every person is working under different constraints based on time, money, location or something else so I would suggest start by identifing those constraints to help you figure out what investing strategy (or strategies) would work best for you.

We are *definitely* planning on finding a property manager, as long-distance, out-of-state management of our house (especially while learning the ropes) doesn't seem like a good idea to me.I'm definitely *NOT* looking for a mentor, just the opinions of those further down the road learning this stuff than I am!

Especially when you are investing at a distance