Hey @John Nocera, long distance BRRRR is a great way to build a real estate portfolio.

The other option is to buy further out and live with the commute. 

With the right location, you can expand your tenant pool tremendously to target NY commuters as well as NJ professionals.

Most people commute, or work out of their home (not the same thing as living where you work).Avg. household income:  This is usually a result of the market rather than dictating the market. 

If someone’s thinking about investing long-distance, I’d say the key is choosing a market with strong fundamentals and then building a solid local network to support you.

I have a recommended contractor (who was a flim flam man) who thought that he knew the crawl space and other issues in the house but didn't.The deal turned out to be mostly a break-even fix-n-flip and needless to say I won't be doing an more rehabs at a distance. 

She could qualify as a real estate professional if she is materially involved in real estate activities like managing rental properties, spends at least 750 hours a year on those activities (with the note that commuting or just doing market research doesn’t count), and also spends more time on real estate than in any other type of work.

Since you mentioned wanting to potentially switch careers, long-distance investing can be a great option, and I'd definitely take a look at Columbus, Ohio.

I'd like for my potential STR to be a vacation home as well, so long distance will most likely be realistic.

I like invest about 1 hour driving distance not investing remotely.