If you want to continue with the STR and classifying the property as active, you have to spend 100 hours and more time than anyone else.

G'Day Hughston,The best advice I could give would be to not invest out of state unless you buy turnkey.But that's just me being biased.The second best advice I can give is to focus more on the people that you will be working with over the stats/demographics of a specific area.I'm sure that this has been covered many times in the various BP books but to this day it rings true.You will heavily have to rely on the folks on the ground.They will either make or brake your investment so choose them wisely.If you buy the best house, on the best street, in the best area with the best capital growth projections.But your property manager is incompetent or a cheat.You will loose money.So, team first, area second.Much success

First-time Landlord is about to approve a section 8 tenant. 

How much time and effort do we put into analyzing the location of the property in comparison?

I emailed John Jackson several times, documenting my steps, with no reply at all.

In the past, it was simple to say, "time to move on" to these legacy tenants.

I started small and grew it over time.

3) How much time do you have to devote to managing, and would this time be better spent elsewhere?

I also work a part time job and bring home between $300-400 weekly from that, and we have savings in the $60,000 range.

Both those large projects aren't relying upon local jobs but city jobs.