Our out of state investors first came directly from our circles of influence in Denver where I lived and Florida where my older brother lived.  

Quote from @Eric Gerakos: My wife and I buy many “fractional” notes where we live in California.

It always seems the people that don't live in CA or have ever lived in CA are always the one leading the bandwagon of "why would anyone live in CA?".

. :)This is especially true if you rely on furnishedfinder.com as your primary lead source (which you shouldn't, but that's another post) as when you make that connection with a prospective resident, you are selling yourself as a landlord as much as you are the property as a place to live.

I'll let others chime in on their experiences, but from a motivational perspective, I think attending live events and getting the "conference high" is something that only happens through in-person connections and being in the same room with investors who are eagerly pursuing their real estate/financial goals. 

I live in San Diego and am trying to purchase my first investment property I have about 150K to put down but am struggling to find deals that meet my price point. 

That’s when I realized I already had a strong connection to the Tampa Bay area—my aunts and uncles live in Largo, just 30 minutes from this home.

One caveat to this strategy is that you can’t live in a property that your IRA owns, nor can you rent it out to anyone else who may be considered a disqualified person like your spouse or child.Feel free to connect with me and send me a direct message if you want to learn more!

In the last 2 months I was receiving a lot of deals in my email account and I received a "great deal" from a small wholesaler; 2 hours later the same property address showed up in an email from one of the "big wholesale companies" 10k dollars more expensive... the property was gone even before I could call the small wholesaler.I believe both are useful and all of us need to make a living, so I understand their role in this business.

I've been following the build-to-rent method for some time and even lived in one for 2 years.