In some of my properties I have a 2nd heat source.

Speaking from 31yrs of experience, I'd keep it in your local area as close as you can to your your residence.Also, there aren't many undervalued areas in the US - RE has been a main source of income/investment for decades now and it's finally ballooned to the top.

@Shaun BeckRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

when I am back from the mean streets of  Real Estate hunting, BP is my source of encouragement tells it like it is with the reality of real estate investing.

What sources did you base this list off? 

Nobody in the industry will do these, your going to need your rich uncle to step in & lend you capital, come up with cash, or pull equity from another source.

Cross-reference information from multiple reputable sources to ensure accuracy.2.

You still cannot benefit from pass through depreciation and carry forward losses to offset tax liabilities from their active source of income. 

Do I need to lower my standards or try to find alternative ways to source deals? 

Pomona's population is about 150,000 people (source Google).