@Jon Quijas, There are some starter home areas in Sacramento that can still bring some cash flow.

I am semi-retired, somewhat ambitious, and very motivated to learn all I can to flip distressed, probate, and tired landlord properties - and - hopefully find a few "notes" to sell - just for starters.

Prices are a bit high per/sf compared to Phoenix, but you can get in a starter home for around 210-220 in Prescott.

For starters, you mention "good deals" but how do you know a good deal from a mediocre deal?  

Although I originally was planning on buying an out of state rental property, I find myself momentarily sidetracked looking for a starter 2bd/2ba townhome / condo in the Irvine area for me and my family.

Their method is tried and true and worked very well for my personality since I feel like I'm a self-starter.  

David Greene's book on Long Distance Real Estate Investing is an excellent resource for starters.

A Duplex, tri-plex or four plex would be a good starter home.The you need to decide if you will hire a management company or be a resident manager.

There is a huge demand for starter homes driving all prices up, except for the million dollar homes that have sat on the market for the last 6 years.The ones who bought prior to 2016 have even more money now to invest.

I also handled all the bookkeeping/bill pays so the partner had a 100% hands-off turnkey investment experience.Wholesaling is a great starter strategy as many have suggested to you, but you can buy and hold by using partners or private financing to do deals.