The issue is that Newburgh is at least 66 miles away which would multiply the amount I spend on gas monthly and also tolls, not including the hours off of my life that I would spend traveling. 

I don't know your total spend but my cost for new SFH construction is up about 30% this year.

I can think of better ways for you to spend $50-150 per month if you are just starting out.  

I was working 60+ hours a week at my W2 and didn't have a whole lot of extra time to spend hustling.

Start saving as well and spend every free minute you have on MLS or even realtor.com and Zillow if you don't have access and start learning, seeing what the market has to offer.

What I didn't like was the process, from application to closing it's a constant magnifying glass on your personal finances and spending which is a challenge in NYS with closing process experiencing significant delays.2.

Essentially, we're not farmers and have no desire to spend all day in the field.

Believe it or not you don't have to spend a lot of time on this as an investor.  

Be careful...they are good rentals but you need to make sure the HOA will do a good job and not spend money needlessly. 

Does the local grocery store spend time justifying their price for a T-bone steak?