That way you have experience in investing in deals, you have some street cred, you know what it feels like to hit a home run, or what it feels like to think you're going to get a monthly check and don't.   

The rest is maintaining these items to completion and doing quality checks prior to inspections.

Too lazy to type, so check out my profile for my perspective on Bay Area investing@Darius Ogloza feel free to talk more about your deals :)

It is also close enough to you that you can reasonably drive up to check it once or twice a year.

Regarding plummbing I check and it will cost 3k-4k.

I clicked the ad to check it and it takes me to his VRBO listing.  

It looks like checking out websites like Zillow and BiggerPockets for cash-flowing properties in Fairfax, Virginia has been a bit tricky.

Don't be a pushover, How to properly vet a tenant, make them pay the house call fees, and do a monthly check and pest control if you manage it yourself to insure the home is being taken care of.

Perhaps check with a lender and see how they would evaluate your current debt if you were to apply for another loan. 

Check their website lucky dog land deals.