I tell my buyers if you buy and hold in San Francisco for long enough it likely will be beneficial.

So depending on what you want buying a business might be the better choice for you. 

There's some great choices, but what it comes down to is what your buying strategy/criteria is. 

Visiting the property in person is beneficial too, as it helps you understand the flow of the house and assess how well it can be marketed later on.For turnkey properties updated by previous owners who lived there can be a good buy.

Also, depending upon how aggressive you want to grow hiring a mentor/coach would also be beneficial.

Your desire for control and liquidity are likely the two biggest assessments you need to make first, as this will start to narrow down your choices very quickly.

It can be a very good market, but the why behind your choice may help us give you better advice on how to move forward.Before realtors and property managers, you really need to meet other investors so you are making a good move by trying to do that here, but it would be better if you could do it in person.

Think about it: a first time home buyer given the choice to buy the same home for let's say half price responds with a hard no, happy to pay double - what does that tell you?

But if I wanted lights and refrigerator etc, I had no choice but solar, this is why you're correctly alluding to the rural aspect.... 

There are a bunch of good choices IMHO.We don't have leather but all our surfaces are super durable because they are higher end sofas and chairs.The 3 main couches are a pair of Basset and a La-Z-Boy.