But when their business relationship with the actual bank soured, the API connection was severed and the people were basically left without access to their money.. 

Yeah people have little idea what a pain in the *** it is to locate and buy property in other countries.

I don't know any of them and don't want to just start buying them without recommendations from people that aren't trying to make a buck off of me.

I have made a post on BP before and some people have suggested a DSCR loan.

Why wouldn't you buy a two-family or single-family where you are now, rent to people you know, learn about landlording, and then keep it as a college rental after?

Hi Michael,I like your thoughts of building a large portfolio because it's very important in sub $100,000 markets like Ohio.A large portfolio = A safe portfolio.Personally, I've always been a big believer in buying with cash.Less is more.Once you gain experience and understanding the true income vs expenses of your portfolio.Then look at using leverage for faster growth.It takes many years to learn a market along with establishing a solid understanding of it's "in's and out's" from a people/team perspective.As investors we should always reverse engineer and protect the bottom line first and foremost before looking toward expansion and growth.My "cash only" mentality has served me well over the years in my businesses and real estate endeavors.Especially when things turned South and they always eventually do.Start slow, start small, buy with cash and build from there.Just my opinion and wishing you much successps.

The question is how to position yourselves in a unique way that people value.Best of luck - Chris

I rode around and managed to find a few people working on rehabs and found out who they were renting to, rents they were getting, and one guy was kind enough to walk me through his rehab project.

And if you have any thoughts or experiences to give, they would be beneficial to many people here!

For years I told people the most dangerous spot for a real estate investor is 1 or 2 units.