My first buy was actually out of the country, not even just out of state.

My market here in Cleveland tends to lag behind the rest of the country and the swings are not as volatile so prices are still 40-60% below the highs of 2007.As a buy and hold investor looking 30 years into the future - does it make sense to keep these assets until I retire our should I sell them if the market here goes back up in 5-10 years.Example - the house I picked up in a Cleveland suburb for 50K sold for 120K in 2006 - if the market reaches this level should you always sell if you are looking long term.

You probably didn't hop in a car for a cross-country roadtrip before taking drivers' ed.

A lot of the population in the country will put a “For Sale” sign in their front yard.

I have a sister with a few rentals spread out across the country, she has some horror stories...

It is also a safety issue for me as the property would be easy to break in (country) so I wouldn't want to have a showing and then have someone come back to help themselves.

@Shayne HastingsIf you do decide to go across the country make sure to do some due diligence on the area first.

Interesting to know how loans work in different countries.  

That said, just to start the thread off, I thought I'd provide some general feedback...My observation has been that drywall costs -- labor and materials -- are tremendously consistent around much of the country (unlike a lot of trades). 

I'm heading out of the country for two weeks mid April, so will plan accordingly.