it also allows you better money management since can you spread your cash over more deals and have eggs in more baskets. 

Just pick up the cell phone, and make some calls.Good luck!

This is important because one bad egg can scare the rest of your good tenants who live in the house away and reduce your ability to get referrals.

I also notice cash for gold and prepaid cell phone stores in questionable areas.

If it is a management company, I find their office phone number online and call that number instead of the manager 'unverified' cell phone number.

If the former, I would say work on the funding aspect of things first - get your bills paid, build a nest egg, etc.

Most of our eggs are in the Phoenix area and looking to diversify.

Get out of debt, cancel cable, trade in an unlimited data cell phone plan for a Wifi based plan from someone like Republic Wireless, Dial your heat back 2 degrees and put a hoody on, dial the AC back this summer,....you get the idea.

You get to spread some of this risk across the portfolio since you'll be dealing with multiple properties and not all your eggs in a basket.

I assume it would fall under the "all your eggs in one basket" category.