We're working with a mortgage broker local to us and he has put us in contact with Lendbase as well.

There are many people on this site pushing those locations that have not historically kept up with inflation.Btw I advocate all newbies start local even if their local market has not kept up with inflation.  

Detroit requires strong local relationships to navigate things like neighborhood nuances and property management effectively.

Also, local meetups are a great way to meet local investors!

Go to your local credit union. 

I don’t want to keep up on local, state and federal law changes so they keep me legal.

I say start there, exhaust your local efforts before jumping toward "shiny things" and unknown markets, persons etc.. 

I'm a local real estate broker, investor, and manager (100+ rentals, mostly Airbnb/STR and multifamily).House hacking is a tried-and-true method and in Sacramento you can produce some meaningful income while enjoying the appreciation and tax benefits of owning real estate.

If you are an agent and local you should be able to scout the areas.

When I ask others at my local meet ups they just reply with "I've been doing it for a while" or "lots of practice."