Starting to see a pattern here?

I sit on my chiseled marble butt, watch movies, go out have fun. while a stream of highly motivated sellers stream in on automatic!

There are exceptions for SMLLCs, taxpayer and spouse LLCs in community property states, and trusts, but that doesn't fit the fact pattern at hand.Again, this conclusion can be made in less than 5 minutes by looking at the regs. 

One other thing to keep in mind....lenders/underwriters will look at a pattern of purchases and start to scrutinize whether your upcoming purchase is truly a primary residence. 

You'll start to generate your pattern, and eventually it'll become second-nature to you.

I look for recent patterns more than anything (past year).

@Adam Craig to "yes and" what @Jason DiClemente said, with your deal volume which can establish a pattern of track record under certain conditions/approaches, lessons learned, strong relationships that give you an edge with sourcing or value-add...making a case should be very doable for you to private money investors. 

Can you ACTUALLY tell me that YOU do not Google for "restaurants near me", Or gas stations near me", or "How to I fix a leaking faucet", or "how do I tile a bathroom with marble, or "best ways to scale my business" or... can you?

I have to second the notion that it is well worth flying into your targeted market to get a good feel for the area as well as shake hands with your prospective “team”.While selecting markets, most of the top Midwest cities have been mentioned here so from there it is a matter of looking into job growth, development, vacancy rates and weather patterns.

I use some kind of wood pattern with a strong grain to hide scratches & blemishes.