Not the crazy cash-flow as in other parts of the country, but we are still excited to get started and be in the green.Thanks for any input!

A toilet costs $109 whether you are in Chicago or the country.

I have a few questions, based on the answer to these questions, I can help advise you as to some options and what each of those paths look like?

There are first-time homebuyer programs that often allow down payments of 3% or 5%.That would mean you could get your $500K property for $25K + closing costs and would have probably about $70K of your downpayment money left.With that, you could buy 2x residencies for approx $150k each in well-performing locations in the country.

Hope our paths can cross

It's a national organization with local chapters across the country: https://nationalreia.org/find-...

@Belinda MangSounds like your on the right path.

Should I be looking at investing remotely in markets around the country? 

My wife and I are planning a cross country move in the next 3 to 5 years.

I might be in a total wrong path here.