After reading what all of you said, I've narrowed my market into two areas- One will either be long distance in Grand Rapids, MI (because that's a 2 hour drive from my home-town, and with the research I've done on the area it's very affordable and booming at the moment)... or my second one would be within a 45 minute drive or where I currently live (Oceanside, California (close to San Diego)).  

To receive information from the previous landlords we have the tenant's authorization on the rental application to do that, but I wonder if it's normal practice to scan the papers and email the information to the previous landlords (so they can see the application and tenant's authorization to do that)?

I am a real estate investment rookie learning the ropes by a mentor friend who is pretty successful at this in Grand Rapids, MI.

Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust and Quad City Bank and Trust are part of the same holding group.

Some times, I divert off the main roads into housing areas to do quick scans for empty homes.

This zip code has some EXTREMELY rough spots, but there are also other parts which have gone through very rapid gentrification.

@Cody HillHey Cody,I'm scanning all of the wholesaling posts here on BP. 

Grand Rapids, Michigan; San Antonio, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; Dallas, Texas; Austin, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Indianapolis, Indiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Charleston, NC; Denver, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Boise, Idaho.

The magic in paying off debt earlier is due to rapid principal reduction, not shaving a quarter or half a point off the interest rate.

Can you blank out your personal information, and post a scan/copy of the mortgage statement with all the numbers intact & visible?