Ask ten different investors where you should go on that spectrum and you'll likely get ten different answers.

Well that is rather broad Rich.

I would highly recommend Bob Broad with the Portland Real Estate Cafe.

This post is really to big and broad of a question--or series of questions--to be answered in a simple post.

I was addressing your initial posts where you made a broad based assertion as opposed to an opinion backed by your personal experiences.

On one end of the spectrum you have little marketing money, the properties are in really bad shape/doesn't look too appealing online, you would want to shift your focus to getting investors into the house and seeing the value prop of the home as; "this home is fixer-upper which is undervalued and would be a great investment".

I understand this is very broad question and there may not be easy answer(if there is any).

California has a very broad definition of "doing business in California", and assuming you'll be a managing member of your LLC, then you'll still likely end up having to pay the $800 (minimum) annual franchise tax unfortunately.

Frankly, I think it's more helpful to describe and help newbies learn the basics of investing, provide objective facts, and how to accomplish their investment goals, instead of posting broad subjective statements that cause them to never try.That said, one skill investors need to learn is to never take someone's statement as fact.

Your question is fairly broad and this is just a summary response.