New investor here in San Francisco Bay Area, looking for local meet ups and getting connected with like-minded communities!

I'd check local tourism statistics for the area as well to see if those are up or down. 

I have heard there are some local financial institutions which encourage investing in certain areas and are willing to provide some incentives.

In the middle of those two extremes might be a small business with 3 years left on their lease, but they've made improvements to the property that aren't cheap to remove, such as perhaps a dental office (dentists might be pissed that I put them in the mid-risk category, but all the dentists going out of business in 2020-2021 taught us that American consumers apparently regard dental care as an optional and "luxury" spending item). 

hello my name is pacha i live in knoxville tennesse. i am new to investing and looking to connect with local investors. thank you

Consider a live in flip, we used to use terms like sweat equity to describe this tactic.Couple of lender ideas Get a co-signerTalk to local or regional banks, you will need "portfolio" lender.Get a bridge loan from hard money or private money until you quality for conventional financing.Financing will be tough. 

If the numbers doesn't make sense for you locally, you should explore OOS investing. 

And by turnkey, either going through a turnkey provider company, or if you're in Minneapolis, I'd imagine there are local cash flow options, so you could just focus on finding a property that's in good turnkey condition so it requires less work.

The Minnesota agent should be able to write the policy BUT they might have guidelines on their rental dwelling policies that require the owner to be local and therefore looking after the property.  

Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out like me, let's join forces, learn together, and explore exciting opportunities in the local market.