Once you figure out the above questions, I'd start to narrow down your options and find the best area/property type for you.

And are there any particularly good ones that I should narrow my search to?

What do you do to narrow down your search, are there specific things to look at within areas? 

Narrow in on a market that has lots of job opportunities and population growth.

Hey Joan- welcome :) This is a great place to start and to really inundate yourself with REI information from people who are actually doing it.I recently spoke with a woman who owns 50+ properties and is now a bit of a REI mogul and her advice to me was to narrow your focus.

You’re narrowing now your niche which is extremely important.The good thing about working with investors is that they will buy a house, “reload,” and buy again in a shorter period than a typical homebuyer.Being on BP is one way to help you meet investors in your area.

That combined with high taxes and buyers beginning to overpay does narrow the pool slightly.

I've also seen loans closed as soon as 14 days for standard FHA and Conventional loans.First, get pre-approved to understand your purchasing power and help narrow down the markets you can afford.

Once you hit 5 units you need commercial financing which narrows down the pool of buyers again. 

I like to encourage investors to narrow down to markets (like you have done) and then start building a team.