@Shawn YorkBottom line is you need an experienced tax attorney or CPA to guide you through this.

I am hoping to take a trip to Columbus to get the lay of the land. 

Like someone else mentioned if they let you just write this off you could travel the US for free and write it off just by viewing a couple properties on each trip. 

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you:http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastWishing you the best!

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: https://www.biggerpockets.com/search/usersSet up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alertsRead Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingCheck out BP Podcasts: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastIf you wish to tag someone in the conversation on the forum, type @ followed by their name and then select the name of that person which should appear below the comments box.

I have read the process of buying a house but would feel more comfortable if there's someone here that can also guide me on my first rental. 

Here are some recommendations for you:Find and connect with other BP members that are in your area: http://www.biggerpockets.com/m...Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you: http://www.biggerpockets.com/a...Read Beginner’s Guide: http://www.biggerpockets.com/r...Check out BP MoneyPodcasts: https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

We stumbled across FI a few months ago, and we've just been binge-listening to the podcasts and reading through the guides and forums on BP ever since.

@Jeremy Quilon The 70% rule is just a guide.  

Here’s why:1) Risk Reduction - for a typically small cost in terms of time and money you can gain a ton of context about an area and the surrounding areas that will help you to reduce the risk of getting into a poor investment2) Relationships - you can leverage your time there to meet with local market participants like property managers, brokers, other investors, contractors, potential tenants etc.3) Business expenses - you should be able to deduct the cost of the trip as a business expense4) Context / Perspective - you simply get better context and perspective by being there is personI don’t mean to say that you can’t do OK by investing remotely but I am 100% certain that you will get outsized benefits from visiting your assets periodically and definitely initially.When I invest in multifamily deals I always visit the area, the comps and the asset itself, this takes time but because we buy 100’s of units at a time it is an efficient use of time.I’d also be wary of anyone who isn’t personally invested in a deal alongside you telling you that you don’t need to visit, particularly if they get compensated by you making a transaction.Investing out of state allows us to find the best returns but don’t be mistaken into thinking that you shouldn’t plan on spending time in your target market.