Kids are out of the houseand college is covered.

You can make a lot of money here, but as an out of state investor you can end up upside own if you don't understand the value swings in each of the neighborhoods.

Here in Chicago, we've found some of our best contractors from other good contractors or investors; I've found the in-person meetups yield the best results, so maybe you can take a trip to Maryland? 

My experience with friends/some clients is get their numbers via whatever method you can and reach out via the phone.

When you have a proven track record of performance, then you can play with other people's money. 

Then I'll focus on paying off mortgages and making my investments "safe" instead of focusing on growth.

Id let them out of the lease or evict.

The "Learn more HERE" link takes me back to the Bigger Pockets home page. 

You will need 20% for a down payment and in BC there is also the property transfer tax to pay. 

Raising the rents will not be as easy as merely sending out notices of rent increases.