Hi Radhika-Congratulations on being a homemaker with young kids and looking to do more for the family financially now that the kids are older.You have 50K to get started but are having difficulty choosing markets and deciding where to begin and you are thinking about single-family long-term rentals out of state because you live in California.I would encourage you to start with duplexes, preferably with 2 bedrooms in each unit for tenant longevity, and ideally with separate utilities.

I would encourage you to break it down into. 1) single or multi family 2) Buy and hold vs flip --I would definitely buy and hold if you have limited knowledge when it comes to property repairs (you can always flip later).  

Thanks @Jay Hinrichs for the warm welcome and your encouragement and advice about my local market.

Furthermore, I noticed that any initial email I sent out to a sponsor was responded with them encouraging me to set up a time to discuss the business with them.

Quote from @Jed Butikofer: Quote from @Jake Andronico:Great to meet you @Jake Andronico and thanks for the words of encouragement!

YES, a job is essential and the sooner I land something, the sooner I'll get on my REI journey. thanks for the encouragement & advice. 

I would encourage you to take a trip to the market you plan to invest in and tour some houses in the neighborhoods that you are looking at. 

I encourage those I work with to deal honestly.  

I would encourage getting a job or something to be your primary income.

Just ignore them.No one can deny how pointless it is to be on a wholesaling forum—designed to teach, educate, encourage, and support you—only to respond to a genuine cry for help with negativity or by telling someone to give up.