. #2: How good are the tenants - I am very willing to raise rents less for tenants I absolutely want to stay.

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I would strongly recommend staying away from Barron Property Management unless you're a local owner.  

Hey Joe Capobianco, I plan to stay involved.

Personally, I try to stay away from out of state investing for single family homes (but I am OK buying 12 hours away if it's for an apartment complex).

Also stay out of (or pay off your) debt.

I completely agree with Jon let them out no penalty before they decide they are staying a few months for free and you end up with an even bigger problem.

Just wondering if any investors use virtual assistants, stay at home moms, out of country fiverr employees, college students, etc to help with your business.I hate the research part of RE and was wondering if it would be worth it to try this.

no. i have never been there. it's probably about an hour from me. i tend to do what the guru's advice.... stay in an area where i know. and i literally buy about 1-2 mile radius and know those 4-5 sub divisions like the back of my hand. i do my own repair calls, so going there would be a drain on my marriage. :)

That's assuming the tax laws stay the same, which of course can always change.