I'm looking more how can I grow my rental portfolio faster. 

There's growing housing desperation to both purchase and sell in markets with pre-existing supply and price constraints. 

It might be helpful to narrow down your options by focusing and researching for markets with strong rental demand, growing job markets, and property prices that fit within your budget.

I am making it a priority to attend at least one a month to grow my network and learn. 

Hi Thanh - Managing a single STR can be manageable, but as your portfolio grows, hiring a vacation rental company can be a game-changer.

As I grow I will hire a virtual assistant to take a few more tasks off my plate to allow me to live the same lifestyle. 

I am looking to learn and grow from different perspectives in the real estate investing space.

If you want to grow, then scaling within control is good.

Forgive me kind folks here for the many questions, I consider myself a newbie and believe that even if my questions are basic and many, I persevere and try to know from resources and of course great folks like you all here to grow and learn to make the right decisions.

If the numbers don't seem to make sense, consider a cheaper (but still growing market) or just keep saving until you can do out-of-state investing.