How to narrow down locations for long distance investing for LTR SFR

[Divya Prasad]

Happy hump day to the incredible BP community! My husband and I work in CA Bay Area. We are looking to diversify and expand our real estate portfolio by investing in long-term single-family/duplex rental properties out of state. I came across BP yesterday and overwhelmed with the information and the support/advice I find here, so grateful for this forum! 

I have shortlisted a few locations (based on proximity to CA, landlord friendly states, my highly limited knowledge of economy/job/population growth in the areas) - Phoenix, Mesa in AZ; North Las Vegas, Henderson in NV; Greater Austin area, San Antonio in TX, and possibly Roseville/Sacramento CA. Avoiding Florida, Oregon, Mid-west and East coast due to proximity issues etc.

I tend to think a fairly recent construction (year built >2000) and 3-4 bed unit might do well (appeal to maximum # of renters and reduce vacancy %).

Here's where I need help -

1. Narrow down the locations to a couple, based on what can give me positive cash flow, and high occupancy

2. I get lost in govt websites like BLS, Census when I try to track population growth / job growth etc in an area. There are too many numbers & percentages and I'm unsure what they mean. I need to know how to read the data and make a decision with fair confidence. What resources/courses are available for this?

3. How do I go about finding my core team (real estate agent, contractors for repairs etc) when I do this long distance?

4. Validate my thought process, since this is my first time investing in rentals!