It appears to be one of those "impossible" things in the real estate world, that persistent people do regularly. 

My opinion: persistence and discipline.

5 years ago, there were rumors of a crash "a year from now". 4 years ago, those same rumors persisted.

I've bought two duplexes in the past year (well.. close on 2nd in a week), one is Bradenton, one in Sarasota, and both only happened because I lowballed and was persistent in following up as they lowered their prices down ~$50k (which is pretty substantial percentage, but that's how high things are getting listed right now). 

This is a matter of persistence and being patient. 

Ask local investors/realtors.I have found this information on the county website, but not in list form, so it's a pain to get something meaningful.The bottom line I got was being persistent. 

I can tell you from experience that most newbies don't do anything because they don't have the persistence and mindset to push through.

Still, I persist because I believe.

With enough persistence you might find you can in fact make deals work in Boston or at least the metro area.

- persistently learning via multiple sources including books, podcast, REI meetups, etc.From this quick overview, any suggestions on what I should be doing now/next to achieve my longterm goal?