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.

There's a lot of things im unsure of and any small mistake will hurt since things are tight make more friends that have money, see if theyre willing to do the deal with you if you can find a way to make them money without them having to do any work. 

In my market, which is a fairly economical place to build, I am friends with full time builders that are in their properties about $150k/door for construction level finishes.  

They are investor friendly and popular amongst wholesalers.

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! 

I actually got introduced to BiggerPockets because I recently searched for REI audiobooks on Spotify that were free with my premium subscription and listen to How to Invest in Real Estate by Joshua Dorkin and Brandon Turner.

Out of state offers lower price points and more landlord friendly areas in general (i.e. 

Hello Friends,I own a 1982-built ground-level condo (one unit above, one below).

I've lost friends and family to substance abuse so it seemed like an opportunity to do some good and make money in the process.I negotiated a sweet deal, and was prepared to buy it myself, but a few of my clients expressed interest and I ended up helping two of them form a partnership.

To all the wonderful BP friends!