canadian buying real estate in the states

I am a Canadian and I have been thinking of buying real estate in the states considering the market there is considerably down and there could be a significant upside. I am not sure if that's true but I am hoping it will come up sometime. My main concern is managing the property. Also, I am not sure whether to buy an apartment or a single family home. Apartment are more secure in terms of break-ins etc but the HOA fee could be significant. Single family homes have no HOA fee but might need more maintenance, lawn mowing etc and I am not sure about the safety from break-ins since I will be mostly away and the house will be mostly vacant. The other things to consider are financing and taxes. I have been thinking of investing for long and am hoping to make a decision soon.