You can own a high quality retail strip center and generate double digit returns with national tenants with leases backed by thousands of locations.Additionally if an investor just wants to look at a spreadsheet then they can invest with my development projects for retail.

FWIW, I do scan them and keep a digital copy as well, but that's more for convenience than for ever needing the document.

If I really wanted something done fast I could order title at 8am and have a full title commitment by 4pm that day and close the next.. our title plants are all digital and each title and escrow company has a plant in the respective counties.. we get GREAT title and escrow service here.. and its UBER competitive.. do you ever have your title rep come over with gifts and take you to lunch.. ???? 

Remember I said that at the beginning of the year we had inventories in most counties in double digit months.

If it needs to be more discreet, you can find analog (https://goo.gl/DLQwFZ) or digital (http://a.co/gJbePoa) ones through a web search.Since I plan to hold really long term, the hassle and labor to install is large, and I don't have to have to coordinate with tenants around utility-related work in the future, I buy the most durable meters I can find in hopes I don't need to touch them again.

Access for the appraiser:Depending on the size of the building and what the appraiser needs access to, digital locks may have helped bridge the gap and provide remote access for the appraiser.

There are a ton of platforms to digitally sign the lease.   

One tip is to use digital locks so each resident can have a sense of privacy.Best to you.

You can what-if any deal to death.As far as other markets, I get a lot of investors from your part of the world here in Ohio because 1) it is a stable market, and 2) the price of real estate is so low compared to CA that the cash flow is spectacular.I have some turnkey rentals with returns well into double digits listed in MarketPlace if you are interested.

Conventional Lenders (Mortgage Company/Bank/Credit Union): These lenders provide conventional real estate loan loans, the most popular being the 30-year fixed amortized loan.These loans require 3.5% - 20% down payment and require Private Mortgage Insurance if you have a down payment of less than 20%.These are the lowest cost loans you can get for acquiring properties.Private Money Lenders: These lenders provide non-conventional real estate loans using money from investors who are seeking “bond” like security with above-average returns.These loans require 25% - 35% down payment.These loans are more expensive than conventional loans, but less costly than Hard Money loans.Loan terms are usually 12 months to 30 years.Hard Money Lenders: These lenders provide non-conventional real estate loans from investors who are seeking double-digit returns over a 12-month time frame or shorter.These are the most expensive loans and they require typically 25% - 35% down.The loan terms are as short as 3 months and no longer than 18 months.Equity Partner: This is a private individual or company who invest with investors in real estate deals.They usually will bring their cash to the deal to cover down payments, closing costs and rehab costs.They usually will make the majority of the profit from a deal because they are taking the greatest risk.Some Equity Partners hedge their risk by taking a 2nd lien position against the property and having all rents assigned to them in the event of the Investor defaulting.Some Equity Partners are silent partners while others are active participants in the real estate deal.Equity Partners may enter into a Joint Venture with the Investor.Investor: The Investor is the person or company purchasing the property and creating the real estate deal.All investment fall into two categories: appreciation (buy low and sell high) or cash flow (regular cash payments).The Investor purchases the property to either sell it a higher price or to rent/lease it to generate cash payments.The money earned by the profit from the real estate deal divided by the cash investment from the Investor is the Return on Investment (ROI).All our appreciation deals generate a cash-on-cash ROI of at least 25% annualized (before taxes) and our cash flow deals generate an ROI of at least 10% annualized after taxes and depreciation.Management Company: The Management Company manages the real estate deal for their client (Wholesaler, Equity Partner or Investor).The Management Company puts the deal together to maximize their client’s ROI.The Management Company may manage one or all aspects of the real estate deal in order to manage, control and lower risks and costs.Our company charges a 1% transaction fee based on the value of each transaction (purchase, rehab and sale) and we share in the profit realized by our client after the client meets their minimum ROI.Seller: The seller of the property controls the property and may or may not be motivated to sell.