Off the top of my head, it "seems" like a perfect fit, close tot he beach, new outlet mall, restaurants, and it's in Orange County (Disneyland, sports teams, shopping, surfing and more) perfect weather, etc.

RE is very much a contact sport especially when you are looking to wholesale, birddog or trying to seek partners.

I did a lot of side work as a Production Assistant behind the scenes on TV shows like "Storage Wars" and "ESPN Sport Science"... basically just a big guy to have on set to do all the lifting and grunt work. 

I wish I would have stuck with sports in high school.

But this is precisely why real estate has evolved to become the team sport that it is today.

Perhaps nearby more country residents see Cleveland as their closest big city amenities for higher end options, museums, theater, concert, sports etc.    

I just need to learn to embrace the idea that spending money on an investment property, and carrying debt that makes me money, is entirely different than financing a new sports car, or putting a vacation on a credit card.  

Stop hanging out with your deadbeat buddies that spend all day drinking, talking sports, and otherwise wasting away.

In my opinion, I think it is so effective in real estate because investing is such a “team based” sport and there is a limited amount you can do by yourself.

Understanding the REI is a team sport, I need to connect with like minded individuals so I’m contemplating joining REIA and other real estate investing meet-ups; any recommendations?