My limited understanding of a subject to is that the mortgage stays in the seller's name and the seller gives me limited power of attorney as well as Deeds me the property. 

In your experience what have you done to stay on top of this?

The more successful San Diego OOS RE investors that I am aware of are mostly into commercial multi family (5+ units).  

Stay as a tennat/renter yourself to maximise your cash saving potential and use flips to build up your cash reserves.  

@Charles Chang about 300k, I currently live in the Murrieta, Temecula area, and was thinking about staying in this area.

Their property stays full all the time with a waiting list.

Our goal is to be financially free within 3 - 5 years, allowing us to work on this endeavor full time.I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the site as it has been an amazing help and I look forward to staying engaged on the forums to pay that back as best I can starting with this way too past due introduction.My wife and I are focusing on buy and hold rentals and flips in the Chicagoland / Central Illinois areas. 

I have been staying home for the past 3 years, raising our son and won't be returning to work for another 6 months. 

Account ClosedThis is a tough question to answer without knowing all the facts.Where is the foreign investor's home country.You may need to look at the treaty between the US and his country to see if there is any exception.You should also be aware that there may be increased withholding at closing because of dealing with a foreign investor.Furthermore, the income may be considered "effectively connected income" requiring w/h in behalf of the foreign party.

Many investors who don't specialize in fire damage tend to stay away because it is more than just cosmetic and smoke damage can penetrate more than expected.