@Tom Ott  one thing i can tell you at least how it relates to Portlandia those rent figures are for apartments not houses.. 90% of rental units are apartments in most west coast markets.. not houses like you guys have were you live.so i can see in those markets those rents are pretty accurate for the rental stock many sell..

Without a doubt Denver is impacted by the growth. https://www.trulia.com/research/2019-markets-to-watch/Colorado and Denver can also relate to the national market with an increase in total inventory.

Probably related to average home sales prices in my area. 

Receiving a LOC on an investment property is also relatively easy....but it's hard to find a bank that offers it. 

Also I strongly suggest reading a couple of books, filtering the forums for discussions directly related to what you're trying to do. https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/318235-double-close-funding

What, otherwise, will be the policy in relation to dividends – to what extent is it intended to distribute / retain surplus profits?

We have recently established LLC, subsequently purchased an investment property in the state of New York but because of LLC being relatively new  my husband had to guarantee the loan to finance the property.

Ideally I'd like to invest somewhere that is within driving distance from DC (within 4-5 hour drive or so).. this is likely my newbie insecurity but I'd like to be able to get to the property on relatively short notice in case of an emergency.. at least until I gain some experience.

Your passive loss, however, can be.For example:Let’s say my MAGI is $160k, I have gross rental income of $10k, expenses related to my rental of $6k and depreciation of $5k.My net operating income is $4k ($10k - $6k).

If he's a fellow member of the LLC then you'll want to be sure your membership interests are in relation to the capital you are contributing unless you're doing a complex deal where services are contributed instead of capital.