I live in and invest in Point Breeze and I'm active in the investing community.

Consider his book, "Cash Flow Quadrant" as a must read, but at a lower priority than the other 2 I mentioned.I've basically had to set aside almost all business activities for about 9 months now; leaving rentals rented and unable to pursue anything new for awhile.

We're getting "investors" coming out of the woodwork from all across the country.I have actively invested and wholesaled in Cincinnati for years, and sellers tell me they have a stack of mailers on their desks from prospective buyers when they call and ask me to "throw in my bid."

One presumes that @Indy Smith is not a criminal seeking advice on an open forum as to how to commit fraud therefore anecdotal stories of criminal activity just don't seem applicable to me. 

Ive been here about 14 years, and continue to serve on active duty.  

There are quite a few Meetup groups in the Bay Area that are active (I attend several and rarely see the same people at any given event).

I have been looking at county records to find leads and my question is how do I know if the record is still current and active?

Whether you're a realtor that can help us find properties, an investor that wants to work together to get us started in return for whatever we can possibly do for you, or even someone active whom we can help and follow around to learn some stuff firsthand, please reach out!

A good buyers agent, who is an active investor, is the single biggest advantage you can get.

The two common choices for doing so are the self-directed IRA and the Solo 401k.The Solo 401k requires self-employment activity, but will allow you to take participant loans while the IRA does not.A few other Solo 401k benefits:Compared to an IRA, Solo 401k contributions limits are roughly ten times higher.There is no custodial requirement for the 401k.You don't need the additional expense and administration of an LLC to have checkbook control.There is a built in-Roth component whereas IRAs are either traditional or Roth, not both.A spouse can also participate in the same Solo 401k plan.The Solo 401k has additional tax benefits over an IRA when investing into real estate using leverage.The penalties for prohibited transactions are less severe, though it's best not to utilize this benefit :)With either structure, it's generally recommended that you do not commingle retirement and non-retirement assets.