Mail does work however it must get read and more importantly it must have interaction.  

@Christopher StevensI appreciate your sharing your experiences so far. 

Investing close to home allows you to gain hands-on experience, learn the ropes, and be more involved in the day-to-day.

Made a decent profit for my first experience Lessons learned?

Hi Karla from Montreal, Canada-You ask an interesting question.Should your first real estate investment be new construction, since you and your partner have construction management experience, or flipping an existing home as you originally thought you would?

In my experience (personal & w/clients) the wife usually doesn't want to pick up and move too often to stick with a strategy like yours.

Do you have experience with other rentals?

So many variables can turn a deal sideways from 1 hour to the next - i.e. inspection findings, title issues, contracts, financing issues, taxes, dept. of buildings/local municipalities, etc.I'm glad to hear you made it through the challenges, and it sounds like you'll be able to leverage this experience as you grow your portfolio.All the best to you along your journey!

I’ve been coaching new investors for a while and many lack funds to get started but find both the lack of knowledge, experience, and funds, often derails them. 

Ask how many units they manage and how much experience they have.