When I was younger I worked for years as a pizza delivery driver and also answering the phones.

Almost guaranteed the sellers didn't have cars and/or valid driver's licenses, so no way to deal with their stuff. 

The quality of the property long term and potential cash flow are bigger drivers. 

my last Uber driver gave me a card saying he  'Buys houses for cash'.

I studied, passed the exam, worked real estate part time and was unsuccessful.Over the years, besides the missionary endeavors I was involved in during the time I got my license, I have been in construction – commercial tenant improvements and residential handyman trades, computer programming, recruiting, camp cook, helpdesk work and over the road truck driver for 2 years.

About 4 years ago I lost my drivers license and really didn't think much about it.

If they have utilities on in their names and have this address on their drivers license, it's a different story.

I think wall street does drive real estate directions, while what is happening locally fine tunes the growth rates.

That's exactly why you're in the drivers seat.The way you're looking at this is counter-intuitive to a point.

Hi @Kevin Longeuay I have bought properties in Wisconsin, AZ, NM, and NV and offcourse CA. and help buy properties in I don't even know but states I didn't even know lol. 1) if ill by your first purchase out of area, I will fly there and check it out, once you develop a relationship with the agent and trust him you can do by picture or I do face time. 2) Yeah I try to go every 6 months at least, or I used to go every time I got a new tenant to meet them but that got too much. in AZ I developed a good relation with my Uber driver and I pay him his fare once a month to drive by my properties and send me picture or see if he catches anything weird. 3) I was a Investment Analyst for a Private equity Fund, so we analysis the markets by Demographic, employment rate, properties on market, market time of rental and of sale, affordability and proximity to basic needs. you have any other questions or I didn't answer all your doubts let me know.