We have family we can stay with so we're not in a huge rush on the buy side but here are a few ideas we're throwing around.1) Look for a SFH in an area with a lot of appreciation potential in the next few years (thinking Inglewood in light of the new stadium and all the development down there) 2) Look for a 2-4plex in Torrance/Redondo area- live in one, rent the other.3) Look for better cash flow and lower purchase prices out of state- would focus on MF properties.Once we narrow down which direction we're going in, I will absolutely reach out to those offering their services/expertise.

You'll still be competing with other buyers, but your competition is narrowed to people with cash (and there are a lot fewer of those than there are buyers getting financing). 

You'll need to foster multiple relationships to have a plan B and C contractor handy anyway.Relying on someone else's pictures is not a good idea, even if you're the pro in doing repair estimates.

My most likely route will be to go with a narrower engineered type product, in a medium/dark stain, and then have it matched when the floor guy refinishes the rest of the house.

Once you've narrowed your choices down, bring them along to do a stink test on the property.  

As such they work amazing for narrowing down a list to properties that are LIKELY to have equity, but you will still get calls from people who don't actually have equity.

You'd be better off narrowing down by neighborhoods or even streets when evaluating properties in Memphis.

I'm struggling to narrow in on a city to invest.

It certainly will have an impact in narrowing the market and rent you would get. 

The Austin housing market is so strong, though, that I expect it to barrel through mostly unfazed in the more "affordable" price bands.