I'm transitioning my focus to the Fox Valley area and always open to meeting new investors like myself.

You can always pivot or branch out later, but having a focus on a specific area within REI helped me get started.

For example if they are asking for 10% down and 5% interest, you can offer 0% down with 6.5% or 7% interest if the numbers work.If you don't already know, figure out the reason the owner wants to sell and focus on solving their problems and building a strong relationship.

I really appreciate these podcasts where the focus is on a mindset of getting enough to make your life comfortable and then spending time on what matters to you. 

We are in Birmingham, focus only on solid B/B+ properties, and our price points range from about 75k-130k, with 100k being the average.

I’m glad to hear that conducting proper due diligence is where your focus is, especially since you are taking on investors.

No doubt that has been a big focus of my research and my week long visit.

Rather than prior liens I would shift my focus to research on how the issue of notice (or lack thereof) plays out in this scenario.

It's hard to focus as it all sounds exciting

You can find a good agent who will get you farther and faster than you could, and allow you to focus on what you will need to know as a successful investor/hacker.