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

Narrowing down the options will probably come down to comps and city/neighborhood specifics; things like permits.Any good suggestions for finding out how long permits are taking in certain areas?

Responses like this are good for me because I am pretty uneducated on things like specific loans or qualifying requirements.

Would love to hear form some Multi-Family owners/operators in these markets about pros/cons and specifically neighborhoods to avoid.My wife and I have been to Columbia SC many times and, while we have never been to Little Rock Arkansas, we plan on going in Late March! 

However, the suitability of buying and renting out a single-family home in Richmond can depend on various factors, such as market trends, rental demand, and property values (similar case with all markets, really.)Chatting with a local agent in the area can provide very helpful insights into the market, data, and specific neighborhoods.

Scaling-  your question is both country and even town specific.  

It’s easy to say “just screen better,” but I imagine truly tightening up criteria without killing occupancy can be an art.Since you’ve seen this play out firsthand, I’d love to hear more—what specific strategies have you used to filter out the bad tenants from the good ones?

My question is around property insurance and specifically what are everyones MUST HAVE COVERAGES. 

It may be similar to other commercial lending options, but it really depends on the type of property and the procedure of the specific lender you're working with.

What specifically are you looking for in terms of investing?