If you're going for non full documentation loans then there are other methods to qualify as well (rental income/ bank deposits/profit and loss/no income/etc) but these loans have higher rates and costs typically.

I am trying my best to be methodical about where to invest out-of-state, so I made the following criteria:Population: >800k people in 2023 (based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area)Population growth2020-2023 Population growth >5% (based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area)... 

Hey Everyone, I'm a HVAC/Mechanical contractor in the Upstate of SC and looking to start building an investment portfolio using the BRRRR method.

I’ve read about strategies like house hacking but am not too enthusiastic about what it would take (also not very feasible given the current cash I have), also the ‘BRRR’ method, though I wonder if it might be too ambitious for my first property.

For my first property I'm going to use the BRRRR method and from there keep growing my portfolio.

With these methods, you would be able to reach a large number of sellers without necessarily spending too much per contact, as compared to direct mail.

Other methods? 

Some 401k plans allow you to payback loans or withdrawals in a certain period.

Quote from @David Ramirez: Call remodeled comps in the area that has been bought and sold within a year Especially for this method, you can paste the addresses in propwire and look in the chain of title to see the last owner before it was sold after being fixed up.

Cold calling is only one marketing method.