And others, because it indirectly drives business for them. 

I would think in rural Ohio within an hour drive to Cleveland would be your area.

I want to be able to build a portfoliorelatively quickly, yet safely.

If while driving to a property an behalf of your LLC, you run over a little odl lady, both YOU and the LLC are responsible. 

If they are still being used does any one have an idea of the pay range for standard drive by BPO's and interior BPO's?

Drive all over the island.

I made the mistake of buying his book with "12 hours of bonus video content" that is basically Pace talking about each chapter of his book as he drives around to some of his properties.

I really see Columbus Ohio as an extremely safe bet for the next 10-20 years.

I'd encourage you to try to find the unassuming guy that drives an old truck/car, buys his clothes at Costco, and never brags about how many properties he owns.I'm just a small time landlord but I'd be happy to help if you think that I can be a resource.

I also avoid contractors who have dedicated sales people who drive logo wrap vehicles.I tend to support diversity where contractors who were born outside of the United States or were Veterans in the Armed Forces have worked out best for us.What are your best practices for choosing contractors?