With your budget, depending on where you are working, I'd consider Silver Spring or Hyattsville  

I ask this because Buildium, also a RealPage company, can actually be more affordable depending on the door count and whether you manage on behalf of others.Buildium, like Appfolio, has different tiers of membership.

Also, you don’t need a business license just to look at properties, but if you buy a bigger property, like a multi-family unit, you might need a certificate of occupancy, depending on the local rules.For business trips, most expenses can be deductible, but if it’s part personal and part business, you can only deduct the business portion.

Hi, pre foreclosure in all of its permutations, before the bank sends Notice of Default (NOD) or efter which is state even county dependant but often starts a 4 week clock till the trustee auction are the 2nd most difficult deal scenario and IMHO only experienced investors should bother, the 1st most difficult deal scenario are bidding at the court house steps on lord only knows what is being auctioned off sometimes even 2nd mortgages, you need to do so much home work to attempt to reduce your risk at the court house steps...Pre foreclosure no one talks about these issues, always about the nice sounding stuff like "motivated seller" get a good deal etc etc both are usually not the case.- 95% of folks in pre or post NOD want to stay in their house, keep their house inspite of them 100% will loose the house at the auction. 

The local investors will need to know their local real estate and rental markets and depending on the infrastructure the investor has in place or is willing and able to build, that will dictate how much time and effort they would need to contribute.

The amount of capital required from your savings to purchase multiple properties depends on the appreciation rates.

Am I correct that a condo, depending on area and neighborhood, could be a lower risk/maintenance investment for an absentee landlord as opposed to other properties?

The violation - depending on your state - will provide a 'cure period' before eviction proceedings would begin. 

We are thinking of adding more in the future depending on the relocation plans.Buying a new property in Seattle will mean a new mortgage for 30 years and very likely incur a high DTI with high monthly payments.

Depending on the resort the 7/9 bedroom was in, yes, it will generally perform better than a 4 bedroom in any reputable resort, including solara.