I guess my biggest question is what are some other investment options that do not involve lots of cash?

The reason some don't own even though it may be cheaper is because they have terrible or no credit or they simply do not want to own.If numbers don't work, then you either have to look via other sources (ie. not houses for sale on the MLS) or look in another area.Not everyone is flooding the market to be an investor because not everyone is willing to get into real estate.

To me that is saying when a listing comes in to you that you would like for yourself, not when you are buying from another source whether that be another agent or off MLS deal.

I am just getting started, and plan to require my full time job for ~2 years before my business has grown to where it is no longer a supplement to my income, but my sole source of income.Draw up a business plan, your intentions, and your goals.

You can also use a source like People Finders or anything similar, to find a relative of an owner and contact the relative.Hope this helps.Good luck-Bev

I'm financing a triplex at 49k, 25% down with one of the biggest banks in America.

Some neighborhoods you can stand on a street and look both ways and see 3 or 4 houses under construction (infill developments) and most are already pre-sold before they finish completion.Now, obviously the OP and you were discussing areas up a little further in the county, and as you mentioned they are quite different than the areas I am talking about, but I think the biggest difference comes from people tired of the commute into DC from areas further out.

We find properties via many different sources.

Not too long ago I started reading about the HUD investing strategy, but I do not yet feel confident in my knowledge to start going down that path.I do not have a great source of funds, but I did think about the possibility using my buyers' funds to purchase the homes and then assign the deed to the buyers that lended the money.

I would say that the listing agent would have probably run into this before, and they might very well be your best source of "been there, done that" experience.