I think long/medium range plans for the future are another key to financial success.1) I was born in, grew up, and went to college (and graduated) in Southern CA. 

So far here is my progress, having started less than a week ago:- Initiate a search with Brad - He is a licensed agent as well as an investor- Visit a couple distressed properties in southern Columbus- Call several hard money lenders - set up meetings accordingly- Call a few inspectors - I have one ready to visit a property once I close- Call GCs - I have one GC who seems to be a good fit although I expect the renovation to be very challenging- Made a deal analysis excel sheet for calculating my offers (I prefer making my own)- I added a "Factor of Safety" for my renovation time and cost- With time and experience, I'll hopefully be able to adjust these- Accepted the fact that this is going to be very difficult with many obstacles to overcomeThroughout this process, any advice, critiques, etc. would be very much appreciated.

The spreadsheet on BP forums is admittedly conservative but I am not a very optimistic person, and my past experience with renting out my SFH (sold now) has taught me to be conservative as well.FWIW, I live near Southern NH, and Nashua NH has some good rental properties.

I started investing in Columbus exactly 1 year ago and am from sf bay area. and can attest that over that time the market has gotten more competitive. heavier concentration of action around childern's hospital, olde towne, southern orchards, but other areas also got more competitive.if you're not local, i highly advise you to invest in building local relations. one heads up - property management in Columbus (i'm generalizing here) is a crap-shoot compared to CA where I have most investments - rates are higher, service is worse, etc. self-manage if you can, or spend enough time screening your future pm. personally, can't wait to get to 20 units in the area to build my own pm team. 

I also live in Southern California (Inland Empire) and I primarily invest out of state.Having said that, everyone needS a place to stay, so I would House-hack.

I know of tons of meetups in Southern Ontario. 

@Matt Everling there's multifamily all over the city, so if you're strictly seeking to meet the 1% rule then some areas to consider would be:-Southern Pkwy/3rd St/Iroquois park corridor-Churchill Downs,Taylors Blvd, UofL areas-Shelby Park, Old Louisville-Shivley, PRP, Valley Station-West Louisville, PortlandCertainly theres other opportunities if you go a little outside the city to Mt Washington, Sheperdsville, Shelbyville etc

Any input appreciated.Here's the deal:Santa Clarita/Southern CaliforniaPurchase price: $799k (that's about market rate--maybe a touch higher, but with a small amount of work could build equity of about $20k higher than asking)Down payment: 5% payable over the first 6-8 months (he's looking for about $35k, but might take less, and won't require it up front)Interest Rate: 4.25 (on the high side of current rates)Term: He's flexible and has indicated that he will go out to 40 years.

Has anyone ever heard of or worked with a company name Southern Commercial Properties, LLC out of Lake Charles, LA?

My name is Andrew Hyder and I am new here. Over the last 6 months I have read over a dozen books, listened to most of the bigger pockets podcasts, and educated myself from other avenues. I have lived and breathed lear...