There's nothing like total immersion to become Baptized as a landlord IF you're willing to tackle the tasks at hand.Here's what you'll need to do in short order:Crash course on landlord/tenant laws in your stateSet up (separate) systems for marketing for target tenants, screening/vetting prospects, easy rent collection, bookkeeping, contractor/handyman management, etc.The three best educational resources I can offer:Fixer Jay Decima, of 'Tenants & Toilets' fame (lower-end), Mike Cantu for mid-range tenant management, and David Tilney for the higher end of the market.

If you haven't yet- be sure to setup some "Keyword Alerts" to get into conversation in your target area.Seeya around!

I can't see targeting people who have completed a loan mod.  

In order to find (and successfully close on) a deal that is worth both your time and effort, and money, as an investor, you probably will need to generate enough leads: Talk to enough motivated sellers, estate attorneys/ bank REO reps in your target area, to see if there are motivated enough sellers for you to talk to. 

One of the best ways to get some SEO traction is by writing high quality blog posts around a certain keyword you'd like to target.

I actually think @Leigh C is largely on target, although he's a little flip and sarcastic with his comments. 

First off, hats off to Brandon and Josh for creating this amazing resource.I've always been interested in real estate but never committed to learning and setting my goals until this year.I'm currently located in the Boston area, and am looking into properties that are in towns an hour or two away as my target geography.My short term goal in the next year or so is to acquire a multifamily property in a region with low vacancy.

If you haven't yet- be sure to setup some "Keyword Alerts" to get into conversation in your target area.Seeya around!

Some of that will depend on how targeted your lead generating is, but that's still the numbers I use to set people's expectations.I don't know your budget, but if you want to talk to people, you can set up a website on Investor carrot for $30/mo and do an adwords campaign for about $1-2/click targeted right and you'll get calls and leads off of it. 

Don't be penny-wise, pound foolish and end up spending more in carrying costs than what you saved waiting to get the job completed.- Buy the materials yourself and only pay the subs after the work is complete.