I own a local tile shop and could give you countless GC recommendations, shoot me a PM. 

I would always run numbers, see where it actually makes sense and then knock off 20-30K, you don't want to offend people when making offers, I have had countless situations where we have sent in "low ball" offers to sellers, never to hear back, even when raising the offers later.

But, there are countless areas that are worth looking at to live for a primary residence. 

I've made personal friends, met some really interesting people, received backstage passes to concerts, met celebrities, gotten deals, received knowledge, done countless podcasts (three for BP), been offered a book deal (turned it down for now), been contacted by television producers about doing shows (no fit), and established relationships with so many accredited investors that have invested tens of millions in my private offerings.And not one of these things was because I posted "looking for investors" or "looking for deals" or "looking for friends".  

I have personally witnessed it countless times... owning and running rentals REQUIRES reserves .use an extreme case like Houston  Harvey flood.... 5 rentals all flooded no flood insruance.. 100k out of pocket to pay negative cash flow taxs and rehab to get them re rented..  

Every time you go online, pick up your smart phone, drive your electric car, among countless other high tech innovations you can thank Cal for that.

I started with the BiggerPockets ultimate beginner guide, and since then I've read countless other articles.

I have read a couple of books, listened to some podcasts, and read countless forums and those have motivated me to a whole other level to get into real estate and become successful .

The Direct approach, in my opinion, would turn this into a full-time job, working countless hours and probably driving me crazy.

I have read a couple of books, listened to some podcasts, and read countless forums and those have motivated me to a whole other level to get into real estate and become successful .