I can vouch for Portland... this is also fueling the first time home buyer as our median price home payments are less than rent... and we are not an area that has a huge portion of the population credit challenged  great time to be in the PDX market in all phases.

It'll be challenging to get going if your strategy will be to scour on-market listings from abroad.

You are off to a great start getting engaged at such a young age.

However, there are plenty of ways to make money buying such cheap property...it depends on who you ask but starting out I suggest going for an easier location to deal with and after  gaining some experience then toy with a more "challenging" area.

I've done 800+ deals and I don't see a crash and would challenge anybody who says there is going to be a crash to document that with evidence. 

Another challenge is having the capital to put down to secure the property and have enough left for all the contingency factors I must take into consideration.  

PM has always been challenging, but TK adds a layer of expectation by the buyer/landlord.  

wayne is exactly right. if you do get the high bid and buy it, you then have to get the tenants out of the place. that can be challenging. at that point, you can see what the inside looks like. at this point, if no one gets to see the inside, well, that just means the price you will offer is just that much less. you have to assume, then, that it is a total loss in the inside

I have one association that takes 1 month to approve or deny a renter so it is challenging.  

I'm happy to say, I walked away with both objectives met and am looking forward to continued engagement with this group.For anyone else on the forum who has a BREIA membership, I'd love to hear your feedback and insights on how participation has advanced your REI objectives.