Try going to the commercial side of a regional bank in your area and see about a line of credit based on the house as collateral.  

Are there a lot more risks to buying in non-local regions? 

I am currently entertaining bids from some Regional and National providers, but need to eliminate the middle man where I can and would prefer to work directly with a great GC in the area as I will be buying more properties there very soon.

So, I suppose I'm asking if you think I should also look at other regional areas, GSP, CLT, maybe Raleigh/RTP, or Knoxville/Johnson City, or do you think it's better to continue saving, continue learning about my local Asheville market, and see what comes up?

I would suggest that you 1) ask a lot of questions here 2) go to any local/regional RE meetups you can find and meet others that might be willing to help you in any way and 3) never stop learning online/offline/in RE, and most importantly 4) DON'T GET ANALYSIS PARALYSIS - you are going to make mistakes regardless of how much you learn about RE investing, so get out there and start DOING once you have a decent foundation of knowledge.

With all that said, we are most grateful for positive thoughts, encouragement and advice on investing in a region that is still finding its way

(note I'm moving to the Newark OH region, and plan to start expanding my portfolio around there)

Mail letters, craigslist, local, regional and national brokers, loopnet, REIA meetings, apartment association meetings, etc.

I do apologize if my previous remark came across as snarky -- I do get a little passionate when IMHO I see other investors potentially getting ripped off.I think what it really comes down to is that you and I have a fundamental difference in belief over what is fair or reasonable (perhaps this is because of the regions we are familiar with).

I'm jumping in with both feet and I want to meet as many people as possible. My background has been banking and now debt settlement and my soul has been quickly sucked dry. I have wanted to be a real estate investor f...