Local property managers or agents can often provide trusted referrals, and real estate meetups are also great for connections.Wishing you the best!

To find reliable contractors, ask for recommendations from other investors, real estate agents, or your local hardware store, and check platforms like Angi or Thumbtack for reviews.It’s best to bring a contractor out after the inspection so you have all the details to discuss.

As a MF agent who spends a large amount of time calling apartment owners (or rather, numbers purporting to be apartment owners), please believe me that reaching out to random run down buildings owners is unlikely to get you any deals.

I did check Loopnet and it's all listed for sale by brokers and agents, so I don't think it is off-market -- right?

My piece of advice would be to make sure you have a great agent in your corner to help you assess the market, make informed decisions, etc. having a good agent can be day & nights difference when it comes to your experience.

Investors and agents often post when they need help with admin tasks or market research.

Multifamily mindset has recruited students from all walks of life such as teachers, medical doctors, veterans, real estate agents, business men, and I was included into a group (multifamily mindset encourages students to form groups) and one of them is a veteran who is divorced, has kids to support, not employed during that time, got a loan of $40,000 for the tuition.

Probably this. california department of Real estate has already nailed two agents for raising rents above price gouging thresholds.. 10k fine plus who knows what kind of license discipline.

I recommend you go visit a few times to network with local investors or find an investor friendly agent so you can gain local market knowledge, find off market deals and for things such as showings, picture taking or getting accurate comps.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?