California’s Inland Empire–the region including San Bernardino and Riverside Counties–has become one of the hottest real estate markets in the United States.

We don't know much about the region other than what our research churns up (numbers, market forecasts, Google Earth views) and we really need a trusted partner to fill in those blind spots. 

I use a fairly good-sized bank but it's regional (Southeast).

@Will Fraser thankyou Will for the info I’ll definitely focus more on regional and local banks.

Cash and Loan from a local regional BankHow did you add value to the deal?

I am not opposed to the Miami-Dade or Greater Orlando region.

Where geographically do I feel the most comfortable investing in terms of personal like and regional potentialPut these two together and now you have a general location and type to begin deep diving. 

While not iron-clad, I feel comfortable with the premise that my analysis should represent many other regions in the US.

It usually works out well to find a bank local to the specific region you're looking to buy in and build a relationship with their bank. 

Ideally I would to this region for property acquisition.