Other Strategies: Are there safer or more profitable alternatives I should consider? 

That being said, its probably still worth looking at the data at those prices

I do not do a lot of volume, so it would take me a long time to get a good data set just based on those numbers. 

Check out this recent rental report from Zumper ranking cities in the US with the highest rents. https://www.zumper.com/blog/rental-price-data/ Welcome to BP - do you work exclusively with investors as a broker or is it just a good portion of your clientele?  

My professional background is data science / analytics, which means analyzing cash flows will probably come more naturally than building relationships, which apparently, is how one finds deals worth making.Are there meetups in these areas I should attend (digitally at first, presumably)? 

It’s a high-risk strategy that is hard to pull off.That’s just investing remotely, which usually means traveling often to the market.

I had the same question when it came to my exit strategy.

Im trained enough myself at this point in QBO, but my bookeeper still does the more complex entries (Loans, capital balances, reconciliation, etc) I just do the data entries for expenses. 

I like this strategy and plan to continue. 

When I asked for a meeting with Dutch to discuss my investment strategy, he did meet with me and was pleasant.