I was wondering if there are any recommend in-person meetups in the LA area.

I recommend you include some of your key qualification criteria in the advertisement.

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.

I’m sure others here are also running into this issue, so any recommendations and referrals would be greatly appreciated!

Quote from @Max Emory: Hey @Heidi Kenefick, for your master accounting software I recommend QuickBooks Online.

If you need to stay in DC for employment than I would recommend house hacking something, although I'm not sure how far 50k will take you there.

What I found with Airbnb's pricing is consistent with the above- their recommendations are for lower pricing (and not in the host's best interests).

Highly recommend @Lien Vuong she commented below and has helped a lot of our clients start of expand their investment property portfolio. 

Hi All - When selling a property with the intention of immediately buying another building via a 1031 exchange, can anyone recommend strategies for removing or at least lessening the risk of running out of time to meet the 1031 deadlines?

BiggerPockets also has a calculator to analyze deals, and I highly recommend you start this as soon as possible, even if you are not ready to buy.