When I come out there, it would be great to make more connections and discuss goals, even catch some waves! 

If tenant paid for March and April then they need to produce a receipt, no receipt they didn't pay and treat it as non payment.The other option is you don't create waves and you move forward.

I'm wondering and scared that things start on the coast and move in to us, is this the wave of the future?

He’s catching waves up there. :)

Some brokerages have retainers for an attorney on call.Brokers talk in the business and some agents causing big waves and headaches they give a heads up through back door channels to stay away from them and not add to their firm.No legal advice given.  

Thats what I see most of the time.You are not doing something wrong you are trying to protect yourself and to avoid any title problems in the future.Basically you are buying the property that simple.I'd call the county clerk and ask about which site to use to search the records...that way you can do your own search not saying professionally but at least sometime you can find some liens on any property interested in like labor liens, child support, abstract judgments...etc could save you some time and $$$ by filtering your targeted properties before doing the title search through title abstractor.Some times I offer the former owners some time to leave like few weeks so I dont need to pay them alot and get them sign a short term lease with zero rent with waving their rights to fight any eviction and giving me the right to get the writ of possession right a way once the short term lease ends without giving them any eviction notice.Hope that helps.Good luck to all

Something I do wish I had done seems a little complicated but would be pretty awesome: use a large map of the area, print or digital, and put pins with sell prices on housing that matches what you're looking for. create several maps. year over year. and look for the wave of appreciation.

Waves!

I live in the Bay Area of California, where I work in tech, particularly in hardware design and manufacturing - and have a huge passion for Virtual and Augmented Reality - it is the next wave of computing - and yes - I'm a bit of a recovering tech geek.

Jeez, when I think of the countless days my tenants and I spent in 100F Los Angeles heat waves with never any a/c, me just wetting my clothes every half hour or so.