After reading Kiyosaki and a ton of others I feel a hybrid and a mix would be most beneficial on a monthly basis for what I'm looking for.

I would recommend keeping the appointment you have and then if you don't feel confident after speaking with them reach out to someone specialized in real estate. 

How do you feel about collecting rents in Oakland at night?

They provide pretty charts, convoluted calculation and links to others who they feel are super smart.

Prices may seem high in markets like ours, but if the source cities are higher-priced, then those inbound buyers likely feel different.

However, even at a "typical" Cap Rate, you need to do the homework to understand if a property is a good price or not.Agreed, I think CAP Rates make inexperienced investors feel experienced until they get in trouble.

Hey I know your in a tough spot I was once also I also was in foreclose and was losing my home so I know how you feel let me help you out of your situation  Blah Blah blah.   

As long as they have gone through your screening process the same way and you feel comfortable, you should be fine in either case.

Feel free to reach out. 

In many instances like this one - by the time it gets investigated damage is already donePlease feel free to DM me any information you have on these companies that you are willing to share.Your friends should make a report to the SEC (via sec.gov/tcr).