Spreading from my experience with habitat and seeing them very active in the area I shop I would say that yes it helps to have Habitat houses close by.

If you can pay all cash then you need to shop at the auctions.  

Feel free to PM me your contact info and I can pass it on so you guys can talk shop and BBQ shrimp or whatever it is you guys do down there.

We figure we can set up shop in a city for a couple of years while we find a good support team and pick up several rental properties, then move along to another city to find more rental properties and diversify.

Family, friends, acquaintances, church, hobby groups, social media folks, mail man/woman, dry cleaners, dentist, doctor, people you see frequently at the local soda shop or supermarket, people you see on the train/bus, etc.

I'm always down to talk shop on the forums about Cleveland.

Rao Mu - I shop around everywhere for the best deals.

@Scotland Ray Smith - I couldn't agree (much) more with @Matthew Baltzell on the following two points: "You create your own luck", and "The key is to just get started"I'm a mechanical engineer by degree, manufacturing engineer in a paint shop by profession.

Local college near by, shopping center near by and military base a couple miles away. 

Also, @Paul Sandhu & @Lucas Carl, are you guys one-man-shops or do you have a full team?