But the biggest factors are more likely that the cost of living in cities like Seattle has exploded.

that may factor in.I forgot to mention in my earlier post, if there is a chance that the building codes/zoning laws in the locations have changed you should discuss Ordinance & Law coverage with the agents to cover the additional costs to rebuild if the changes require it.

Saying 'what if', dreaming, taking risks, and actually looking for shortcuts / leverage is actually a big factor to what's made me successful. 

There are other factors that go into a decision to go outside your market as well, such as market cycle, political climate, taxes, etc.I used to own in the Bay Area and sold off my property due to the high taxes and opportunity for better returns elsewhere.Best of luck!

This is due to a couple factors:1.

Team member agents get to eat at my table, and with that gain the knowledge and experience via osmosis and training sessions, gaining their own expertise in time, and for myself I gain time leverage power, the ability to service more clients than I could alone as a factor of 1.  

@Brenden Kanakaole How did you arrive at a 2% vacancy factor.

Cost for the effort will always be the determining factor.

How quickly you plan to deploy the funds can also be a determining factor on which one you want to use.Best of luck!

You can ask what expenses you should factor in to your calculations.