Advice on out of state investing? How do you do it?

[Ellie Narie]

I am interested in out of state investing because I live in the pacific northwest, where real estate is expensive. 

How do you go about finding and buying out of state properties? Should I go with a turnkey provider, or should I just try to look up properties on zillow and trulia and then somehow either buy them remotely, or fly out to buy them? I don't think I want to do much rehab, I just want something that is ready to be rented or is already rented. 

Also, what areas do you recommend to invest in? I don't want the properties to depreciate, but I also want a healthy cash flow. 

I don't really have any friends or family in any other states, nor have I ever lived in any other states other than Oregon (and I cannot move either), so I'm trying to figure out my best strategy for investing.