I'll never stop investing in rentals though and providing properties for my investor friends.

Not user friendly.

After those sources are RE agents, mortgage brokers, friends and family.  

Quote from @Dan Huang: @Tyler Sweet I am a firm believer in the disruptive value of blockchain technology and decentralization, and a crypto-friendly realtor in Las Vegas. 

Rodrigues' recommendation may change this), but my next question would be, are there any cities/markets where 1 of the following are true: 1) You have family/friends that live there, 2) You travel there frequently (either for vacation, work, etc.), or 3) Somewhere else you've lived before AND know the area well?

We have rented the long term unit to family friends for over a year and the bills were always reasonable.

I sent a friend down there to look at various listings.

Quote from @Samuel Hudson: Hello friends I am new the market and recently bought a home in Weehawken 6 months backs .Its a three family home and we are currently doing renovations Right now.The rent leveling board told me that two units would have to follow a rent of 1650 for unit 1 which has three bedrooms and another unknown amount for unit 2 which they don’t have the information for .The previous seller I purchased the property from bought it as a tax lien .He has kept the property vacant for two years with no tenants before selling it to me .However ,the previous Owner he bought it from must have had tenants .I am putting in a lot of money into renovations and want some clarity on the situation I am in .The property has been vacant for the two years and currently still is as we are doing renovation .It would be really appreciated if anyone can assist me on what information needs to be provided by from the previous seller for me to be able to set the rent based on the market value .Thank you . 

We are all confused about what role a private lender plays, so here is a quick and dirty explanation.Unlike prime lenders (ex. big national and regional banks like Chase) that underwrite both the borrower's ability to repay the loan and the collateral (ex. real estate), private lenders make lending decisions based on the collateral. 

I would also find out from your friend if they have increased the rent since that tenant has been in the house.