Phoenix and Vegas are just areas we looked at since we have family there and we visit frequently.

@Paul Smythe like they say frequently in the podcast, there are deals within two hours drive of any market.

You can buy houses with credit cards, but have to convert the money into cash, which costs many percentage points (unless you have a special offer from the specific CC), but once you convert to cash, you lose the points associated with spending the money.However, I do run all of my rehab projects through credit cards, and frequently have tens of thousands of dollars running through those little puppies.

Nearby Attractions - for example there is a cluster with a Casino, Waterparks, Outlets and skiing all within about 15 minutes.Your price range will definitely work for the Poconos areas, just depends on what you're looking for.

People are always asking for recommendation in those groups and I always add to my list those that are mentioned frequently, that way I always have someone I can get in contact with if needed.

The property still needs lots of maintenance and has been quite tiring to manage (tenants very needy/house having issues frequently) and I'm ready to sell. 

I want to invest in rentals locally but before I do that I want to have a network of people I can call on since I am frequently out of town for work.

There are vast swings depending on the price-point and target audience that is most likely to frequent your STR.In general I see locations in the "hot spots" of the urban core leading to one norm in terms of occupancy trends and those near lifestyle locations and hospitals leading to a very different set of norms.  

There seem to be 50 "wholesalers" or investors per owner, so we get hit up all too frequently with texts, post cards, phone calls, etc and it gets frustrating.While you may have great intentions, you are immediately being bundled in with a group of people that don't do their job well and often unprofessionally, so you are guilty by association.I am also curious as to what your goals are with these calls.  

It's all a gamble but I like my odds in real-estate and not with the casino.