I'm still undecided, but it looks like I have time to make the decision as it's still available and slowly coming down in price. I've looked at other options such as relocating to sink hole prone central Florida, or increasingly attractive Indianapolis, IN. There is no perfect solution...yet.
Living in Idaho allows me to do what I love most, outdoor stuff. It's still close enough where I could drive to checkout one of my rentals in the greater Seattle area or show a unit, not to mention be within driving distance to roots. And I can have it for about 20K now, move in ready, completely remodeled, and use it as a rental or bed and breakfast (pay a neighbor who also runs a B&B to manage it). Due to it's price, no it doesn't really hurt me if it doesn't work out, but unlike other real estate I own, it won't be so easy to sell it, and it's not an investment that goes up in value, it's purely something that allows me to spend very little money to reduce my living expenses.
Yes, it's not that big (the house). Yes, Idaho is cold during the winters and has state income tax. But Ocala Florida has sink hole issues, even though I love the weather and would only be about an hours drive from Tampa or Orlando for jobs if I get the itch to work. Indianapolis would be great to live in as a land lord since I can buy dirt cheap rental property there for good cash flows (though not much appreciation, so lower overall return).
But it would require me to either sell my Washington properties with hefty real estate and excise transaction costs and a loss of ridiculously high appreciation, even if I 10-31 exchange into properties in Indianapolis. Alternatively, I could hire a PM to manage the properties and keep them, but at a huge cost; 15K a year with current estimates, assuming I don't close on deals currently in progress (short sales I signed a long time ago). Living in Idaho allows me to find cheap housing while still being close enough that I could manage the properties. No, a 5.5 hour drive one way isn't ideal, but it would be rare, only when there is turnover. Everything else to date I've pretty much hired a guy off craigslist to fix without me ever going there in person.