But I like the idea of finding someone to help analyze and assess risk!

Hi Brandon,Personally I think it all depends on what kind of "avatar" you are.If you have high risk tolerance and have time to spend, active strategies like flips and BRRRRs will yield better returns and more opportunities. 

The real trick is making sure you’ve got a handle on who’s active in your target area.

Quote from @Tanner Lewis: Hey Chelsea - I'm pretty active on the lending side in the Smokies since it's mainly rural STRs.

Quote from @Sebastian Bennett: I've been actively using BiggerPockets for over a while, have been educating myself and attending a lot of networking events.

@Isadore Nelson Yes, eviction is possible, but there are too many factors that need to be taken into consideration, active military family members, disabled veterans, building violations, maintenance issues and etc...

My name is Peter, and I am an investor actively seeking to connect with like-minded individuals and groups in the investment community.

Aside from educating yourself, the next steps are to honestly assess yourself and see where you best fit into the equation and to build sponsor relationships because these will be very important for you as you start out.If you determine that you're best suited for the "finding money" part, then the content approach is a good way to get your name out there. 

I would do a few BRRR deals (SFR or small multis) and then re-assess your situation.

I am really just looking to avoid the worst of the worst areas (anywhere with open air drug markets or active gang warfare / prolific violent crimes).