A lifelong friend and I are motivated to (virtually) meet and connect with those in REI working in the Pittsburgh area.I'm active duty military and living in California with two rental properties (one in Virginia Beach & one in Pittsburgh) and my close friend owns a single family in Baltimore.  

I am looking into buying a duplex in Hyatt Park and wanted to get some advice on what contractors/suppliers I could contact that have investor friendly pricing for kitchen cabinets, countertops, and bathroom vanities.

Besides a declining population and tenant-friendly laws, you have to deal with the fact that neighborhoods can be as small as a city block in many cases.

I invest in Boise, ID and do quite a few BRRRRs, LTRs and STRs- varying degrees of success depending on how much equity we can force and the type of back end financing we can find, but the tax benefits are great and it's a rapidly growing market and Idaho is probably the most landlord friendly state in the nation. 

I'm sure there will be others with their own (and possibly conflicting) opinions, but for question #1, I always advise my clients to focus on properties in areas that 1) they currently (or previous) live in/near, 2) they travel to frequently, or 3) they have family/friends in the area.For question #2, the answer is going to depend on what you do for #1.

That’s the kind of agent you want in your corner, especially in a competitive market like San Antonio.While I haven’t worked with him directly, I’ve spoken with an investor friend who did.

You want to focus on areas where you have a competitive advantage (you have lived there or you have family and friends there) and then compare those areas against widespread list of great areas to invest.Good luck!

Finding an investor-friendly agent is key and they should be able to help you with 1-4, I'd say talking about those questions you asked would be the perfect thing to ask any potential agents you interview! 

If your friends have a rental they should hire a tax professional. 

Since New Jersey is very tenant friendly I wanted to know if anyone has had a successful experience with actually getting your tenant out within a few months?