Chris, thanks for reading and your comments. It is an excellent question. My properties are all in Texas, but even there the prices in the past 2 years have gone crazy such that I havent bought a house since 2019. A few thoughts - I am not very familiar with the NE, but I worked with a guy a couple years ago that was buying houses around Buffalo, NY. I just spent a few min looking, and there are lots of houses sellingn for less than $150k that are in good shape (recently rennovated). Rents in some areas seem like they might be strong enough to cover expenses, but I'm not familiar with expenses, property taxes, etc. As prices get higher, you probably have to look in less-desireable areas to find things that are affordable. These will be areas with lots of renters, but you may find a deal that allows for positive cash flow. I've bought houses sight unseen from far away, but I knew the area and my agent well. There are also sites like roofstock.com that allow people to buy SFH in cheaper areas like Indiana, Tennesee, etc. I've never used them, so do your due diligence, but you can look at lots of houses and cash flow estimates (always make your own estimates for rent and expenses, don't just use theirs). It's not easy, but not impossible either. Best of luck!