(Especially a 2-4 unit.)Do they have friends/relatives/co-workers that would rent rooms from them if they bought a property to show more income?

@Brett Coultas if you're a newbie, you want to be careful of an "investor friendly" agent selling you something they truly don't understand:(95+% of agents only know how to handle owner-occupied transactions - you can verify this by asking them calculate ROI for you or Cash-On-Cash!

Sacramento metro by contrast is more friendly, and there are some areas we target here that do very well for STR.

I have friends up there! 

I’m searching for an investor-friendly carpenter and plumber.

(You won't make any friends. 

A landlord friendly state won't save you from a bad deal.Not trying to be discouraging, just realistic. 

The interface is user-friendly, and the reporting tools are especially helpful for tracking property performance.One downside is that it can be a bit pricey for smaller portfolios, but the features have been worth it for me.

House hacking will be your best friend starting out .

Quote from @Gregory Schwartz: I have 2 very close friends who grew well beyond 2 rentals with this strategy.