Since I remotely self-manage, my realtors are also critical to buying properties and also helping with tenant turnovers.

Their reputation is critical, and I can't speak for anyone else, but I would never do anything to jeopardize that with my clients.  

Tenant placement is a critical piece to success in brick-and-mortar real estate investing. 

@Adam Guskythe vast majority of realtors are not investors, and will not do the things you listed; they are not going to be your personal shopper for investment properties thousands of miles away, they aren't going to estimate rehabs for you, and they're not going to take responsibility for transactions going well or going poorly, or something being a good deal or not being a good deal.i'm not saying this to criticize them - these things just aren't things that they do.that's why i'm saying to start where you can invest in person, even if that's a couple hours away. 

The critical piece to the equation here is where do you know someone? 

I have my own opinions on the subject but I don't want to color the discussion so I'll wait to chime in after we (hopefully) get a critical mass of postings.

Just like a business requires capital injections to stay afloat during critical phases, your real estate ventures can benefit from a well-thought-out infusion.

you enjoy being a landlord  that is critical.. myself I  hate it.. :)2. a market that allows you to get velocity IE price points on the low end nationwide  this is a very critical aspect of scaling.3.

Here's what I'm picturing: scenarios that I can study, run through the Biggerpockets Rental Property Calculator, and critically analyze.

Not to mention that if you read food reviews from national food critics, they always have their favorites in Downtown.