BRRRR is the only way i'd still consider this possible, but deals are rare, competition for those is fierce - i hear about 1/3 of all purchases are from investors these days.You (or someone you know) need to know the areas and where to invest, and where to stay away from.

Maybe we can connect in the future being that we are both in Cali- a relative competitive/fun market!

Currently, the market segment I suspect you're looking at is competitive, so while you can ask for this, it may not be the winning offer. 

Obvious benefit is your competition will be slim.

Now I manage a corporate risk and insurance program for a global firm headquartered in Chicago—I love it.

The competition is even fiercer. 

I’d offer competitive price points to property managers/agents in return for continued business.

Now is still a good time to buy IMO because if you find a good deal there's not a ton of competition, which is a rare situation over the past couple years. 

Literally, global unemployment hasn’t been this high in hundreds of years.Anyway, it got me thinking: let’s put some people to work!

You can really only go to a local bank or credit union if your income and DTI supports the loan requests as they calculate global borrower financials (I know this because this is what I do for a living).