I agree that the market is very competitive in California - especially if you are searching via the MLS or making offers to distressed or vacant property homeowners. 

Just google the following: - special assessment - zombie condos - Florida condos (look for recent news)Since you are not living near the properties anyways, why not look in a landlord friendly state where the purchase prices are lower?

You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, Facebook, or a Google search.

Get a title search done. 

This website is a great starting point to find out what areas are like https://www.areavibes.com/It gives you a total livability score and from there you can narrow down you search. 

@Mattin Hosh first, most cities in Metro Detroit have some type of rental property inspection every 2-3 years.It's not really a big deal 99% of the time - especially for owners who are NOT slumlords:)Also, a quick Google search will show that several states/cities are passing/considering similar legislation.One of the biggest mistakes we see newer investors making is NOT properly understanding Neighborhood/Property/Tenant Classes and naively assuming that any rental they buy will deliver Class A results.Read our copy & paste thoughts below and DM us if you'd like to dicuss more about the Detroit market:)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Since you are an investor friendly agent that drives for dollars, I would invite you to try out the AI which looks at google images and satellite images to tell you if the property is distressed.

Search a little..https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/70/topics/291046-ppr-note-fund

Google permit expeditor or ask the county who typically is used.4.

Jay thanks for the tip, it helped in searching and learning about "lead generators" in the fine print in lending and what means.