I'm looking to sink some money into the kitchens and bathrooms to upgrade and wanted to see if anyone can recommend a reliable crew of contractors you've worked with who can meet me that weekend to go over the scope of the project for an estimate.

Take your time, spend the money, invest your time and energy into actually coming to the market, sitting down with these brokers, property managers, other investors, go to networking meets, get in the market, get face to face, belly to belly with the brokers. , trust me, if you fly the way all the way from California to Raleigh, North Carolina, , the broker in Raleigh is probably going to consider you a serious buyer since you just spent, you know, a couple thousand bucks and, you know, three, four days to get there.

Vetting a reliable contractor can significantly boost your odds of success.

Pretty straight forward and reliable.

Based on your time, energy and capital you have to deploy will dictate where and what strategies you can use.  

Otherwise, they're more reliable, cheaper and harder to break. 

This involves thorough research on local trends, networking with other investors and property managers, and finding reliable contractors who deliver quality work on budget.

I agree with several of the above posts that winter guests should be a steady and reliable way to COVER monthly expenses.

The best cities to invest are the ones that fit your budget, time, and energy. 

Rent delinquency at near-zero, long term tenants paying reliably.