Remember, they can always refer themselves😊Now, make it a goal to call at least 5-10 of these people EVERY day and ask a MAX OF THREE off the list below of who they know that:Just inherited a homeHad a loved one pass awayIs behind on their mortgage or tax paymentsHas a relative that can’t take care of their house anymoreHas a house they’re having trouble sellingIs facing bankruptcyKnows a probate attorneyKnows a bankruptcy attorneyetcWhy only three off the list per contact?

Higher-quality areas attract tenants who are more reliable and tend to take better care of the property.

My experience with S8: There is a reasonably strong correlation between S8 tenants and tenants that do not take care of a rental property. 

(To avoid months of probate and thousands if not $10’s of thousands of dollars in costs.)Hawaii is considered a "TOD deed state," meaning that residents can utilize Transfer on Death (TOD) deeds to designate beneficiaries who will inherit their property upon their death, allowing for a potential bypass of probate court proceedings.If she is already in memory care center.

@Tyler Kesling  Adding to the above great points, start with 2-4 units as it's standard conventional financing.  5+ units is commercial and somewhat of a different ballgame.   

I can make the down payments in the smaller market on cash-flowing deals, but these bigger markets require 40-70k to make a deal the conventional way, and I just don't have that to invest.

If not, I'm guessing it would be treated as a traditional rental loan, either conventional or DSCR, using market rents rather than the rent in the lease agreement.

Beyond carefully vetting the tenants, how can an investor protect themselves from squatters if we want to sell years down the road?

Friendly reminder to anyone else reading to carefully review your PMA before you sign it and before you decide to change property management companies.  

Quote from @Peter Walther: Quote from @Bob Floss II: I don't know the laws in your area, but tread carefully assuming a judge will award specific performance when money damages are available.