Go to home depot (or favorite big box store) at 6-7am and look for the guys that are not driving the $70,000 truck but the beat up one and build a relationship with them on one property.

@Brian BurkeWhen you are buying in areas with good school districts - you are competing with families who are looking to acquire a personal residence.Therefore - you are competing with other investors and those who want a family residence.This competition drives up the cost making it less likely to cash-flow.The good thing is that you may experience significant appreciation.Have you considered looking at areas that are not in the best school districts?

However, you need to consider that over time taxes and insurance do go up, so if the margins are very thin in its present state with limited expected rental growth it might not be a viable deal. 

Low property tax rate- friendly landlord laws- and steady job and population growth around the major cities.

For example, I’m new and been driving for dollars writing letters to physically distressed properties.

The lender is who really drives up the price.You also get a credit for property tax at closing.

I always recommend to take the time and money to fly over here and drive around and see the neighborhoods and vibe of the area.

@Aaron Hunt Originally we were trying to purchase an FHA duplex in my name and then reset our savings and purchase another in his name so that we could maximize our portfolio growth.

I’ve recently come across a good off market distressed property in my area. I want to reach out to the owner to see if they’re interested in selling. My first go to is the assessors website. Owner comes up as “Admin V...

I live in Loveland, CO so door knocking and driving for dollars isn't feasible.