Networking, local meetups, door knocking, mailers, wholesalers, online forums specific to your area of interest.  

I’d love to hear about the crime rates or any other issues (which we cannot guess from the online stats), and how easy or hard it is to find reliable tenants and property management companies.

However, I've heard lots of bad experiences online with Guesty, Hostaway, Hostfully, etc. etc.

Quote from @Zach Howard: Quote from @Jonathan Greene: If you are looking at properties in the US only on Zillow, and not seeing them in person (I know you are in Hong Kong), this is just an effort in futility because you can't underwrite single-family or small multifamily deals only online.

I have been reading the online resources about getting started, searching the market, and even doing tours, but I am hesitant to jump in and buy a house as I have quite a large amount of student debt.

you can find all the info online"...it's like, no sh*t you can...all the information ever is online!

I also recommend a bank that has local branch that you can go into vs having it 100% online.

go to meetups, join online communities, talk to people, make friends.good luck

I use QuickBooks Online for all of my clients.

You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.