I appreciate your advice and thoughtful response!

You can find online which larger institutions are buying in a specific area and try and reach out to them.

Consider connecting with local REI meetups, hospitality groups, or even online forums like this one to find like-minded investors.You could also pitch your successful track record to potential equity partners.

I use QuickBooks Online for all of my clients.

On-line Auction Foreclosure Website.

So you're going to get responses from a lot of people that offer coaching.

They are highly secretive however - no online presence under their names while being very tech-advanced, they also installed like seven cameras around the house perimeter.

Definitely join your local chapter of REIA (real estate investors association) or join one of the ones that are fully online (Columbus and Cincinnati).

The forms are online, and it costs $100 per filing. 

We're willing to live almost anywhere in the greater Sacramento area based on what we can afford, provided of course that the property is in a decent neighborhood that has a good chance of attracting responsible tenants.As for budget, I believe we could get a conventional loan for properties up to $600k, but my strong preference is to find a distressed property (or seller!)