I would say that all of the numerous methods we use to find deals work, just track what you're doing so you can review and figure out how you need to tweak things going forward.

In other words...clearing over $800-$1,000 per month after expenses in Cleveland for just under $75K and not having to invest in a war zone. 

I've had numerous friends and colleagues offer me substantial amounts of money to invest (in one case $1M) and have finally decided to take a serious look at combining some of my funds with my friends and colleagues to purchase an apartment complex. 

Bidding wars are being conducted on Any & Every house that is for sale right now.  

I have read numerous times that you shouldn't invest in California real estate (you can buy 4 properties in the midwest for the price of 1 in CA) and that you should never invest in a city that has no industry or a declining population.I live in the mountains of Northern California, very "middle of nowhere".

Going full-time with numerous clients is a different beast when it comes to marketing, etc, but it doesn't sound like you necessarily want to scale that side of things.When you add in the fact that I was able to save 2.7% on the acquisition price and 3% of the re-sale price on every rehab project we completed (30+ properties/60+ transactions over 4 years), I came out way ahead.

Gain is allocated to nonqualified use by multiplying it by a fraction, with the aggregate periods of nonqualified use as the numerator and the total period the taxpayer owned the property as the denominator.

It also has numerous benefits like low CapEx and Repairs.

There are numerous Meetups in your area that you could attend that would help. 

I believe I was able to "win" the bidding war for a few reasons:- I had pre-approval of funds ready to go- I pulled the trigger ASAP when I realized it was a deal worth pursuing- I submitted an offer with an Escalation Clause- I submitted my offer with a nice personal touch that was tailored towards the sellerBest of luck!