Just go to the local RE meets or forums in the city you want to buy, deals everywhere.

I would get involved with state or local apartment associations.

Any locals with some inside information on how true this is? 

I am hosting a lunch&learn Zoom call on Wednesday about rent increases, more info on RPAWI. org - a local non profit REIA.

Other local counties have similar text.

Check out some local meetup groups in the area.OCREIN - Unlock Your Real Estate Success: Stand Up and Connect!

Separately — and this is a more minor gripe — it was complicating my tax situation to pay state and local income taxes in a place I didn't live anymore.I pitched to my parents that I would sell the place and roll it over into a comparable property closer to where I live.

Be creative in finding tenants by partnering with local, state, or even national businesses.

I'm sure that is true, because most mortgage companies aren't going to go searching for issues when there aren't problems - but in the truest sense of the word this is loan fraud and I'm just not up for it in my portfolio.I did hear from a friend of a friend type that she was able to close a subto with a small local bank somewhere in Georgia (property was also located there) because of a long standing relationship with the bank. 

Have you tried local Facebook groups in your area, they are usually filled with wholesalers.