Last I heard from a friend of a Guru, greater than 95% of those pay $40K plus for these plans, never even open the materials. 

We don't allow any "deal-making" in the forums, which includes advertising your services or properties, looking for partners, etc.

many houses in the midwest, for example, are very old and need major rehabs.i personally think out of state investing is more difficult than advertised, and much more difficult in the current investing environment, with: prices high; interest rates high; tremendous demand for inventory, by both investors and retail buyers; and good PMs, contractors, etc. booked up.here's a really thoughtful thread with the experience of another CA investor and lots of different responses:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/1215726-break...and here are some threads about how it can very easily go wrong:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1159104-overl...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/963/topics/1195280-expe...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1160450-run-i...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...finally, you also said you "don't have a lot of money to start with." 

from what I understand you're not supposed to advertise any deals or promote yourself.There are definitely good to great deals though.

i and others will happily answer any question you have. i invest in Pittsburgh, and in fact, I'd probably try to talk you OUT of investing in Pittsburgh if you proposed it, since you don't have a network here.investing out of state is certainly possible, but it's also way more difficult than advertised. 

Two part question: I am just about ready to get my first STR up and running and am looking for advice on anywhere else I should be listing the property besides the obvious Airbnb/VRBO. My property is an a-frame cabin ...

How are they still advertising this?

List the property on MLS or with a trusted real estate agent, and market aggressively through social media, local advertising, and open houses to generate interest.

Is there a platform where I can advertise a pool of mortgages for investors to buy/invest in?

Income from a trade or business where a taxpayer doesn’t materially participate.2.