For my money, I think Home Depot has a slight advantage in availability of in-stock door sizes/styles (which you can check online to find your exact style/size/swing and see which locations have it in stock), while Menards has a wider range of trim options.LVP Flooring. 

You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

Use books, podcasts, and online resources to learn and refine your strategy.

Go to Etsy and search for "rental property tracker," and you will find hundreds of nice spreadsheets to track 10-20 rentals, usually for under $10.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button, and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

The information that I found online shows that land in the immediate area is ranging in price from about $37,000 to $150,000.  

@Skyler HeimerTo find a property in Santa Monica, work with your agent, use online platforms, and consider different types.

For reference, I am self-employed (I run my own online clothing business, i am 1099-k) and I've always been told that it'll be hard for me to get a conventional mortgage when you're self employed, so I am specifically asking about other types of loan options.  

The majority is with property management, the rest if online looking at statement and reports.People often ask me what I actually provide to them in my mentoring and coaching program.

@Alex McGhee I am not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but if the access to online probate court by case number or last name of the deceased is unavailable, then a viable option is http://www.usprobateleads.com that I have used before.

its certainly a hell of a lot easier than chasing down wholesale deals.. you know the deals are there.. they are public record.. most on line.. you can go to Northwest trustee service.. you line up your private investors and do all the leg work for them.. check property check comps.. eye ball rehab.. etc etc.. then you run to their bank ( because they are busy making money in their day job) grab cashiers check and bid for them.. if you win you charge them a flat fee or you take a piece of the deal...