I have heard a lot of investors investing out of state like Ohio, Memphis, Texas, Seattle, etc, but rarely they say they have apartments and anything similar in nature, in California.

I just listed my first flip project (which turned out beautifully).

Not sure if this applies to you but if you are planning on building lots of units it could be a natural fit. 

Purchase price: $24,000 Cash invested: $100,000 Beautiful remodel currently on the market in Augusta GA, perfect for rental portfolio.

We wouldn't even offer to clean this up as lawn maintenance is 100% on tenant unless an act of nature causes damage.Review your lease and make sure this is covered for future unrealistic tenants!

I would love to try this strategy and provide beautiful and safe accommodations to nurses and other health personnel as well as be able to enjoy the property a couple of times a year when visiting the area.

Otherwise it is nature and misquotoes , ticks, bees and spiders live outside. 

I'm naturally a nice person so its not that hard for me.

We do have access to a HELOC on the property which we leveraged to purchase our current primary residence (balance borrowed has been fully repaid at this point) but we would rather not pull that lever to roll into a new property given current interest rates and the adjustable nature of the HELOC. 

People are doing it, so presumably it works.FWIW, I invested in Japan for a few years, but lack of rent growth, lack of appreciation, concerns about natural disasters, and just general lack of confidence in the J market led me to shift focus only to the US.