Just yesterday I was speaking with a friend who has over 100 properties in VC.Personally I invest outside of CA via Syndications however I work with folks locally to help them drum up local investment opportunities as well. 

You may also find others in the local real estate group looking to learn more about note investing.  

I've heard a lot about working with local banks.Does my strategy make sense?

It's great to hear that you're interested in providing housing for fellow travel nurses - it sounds like a fantastic niche market.As you're getting started with acquiring rental properties, here are some steps you can take:To start real estate investing, educate yourself on various strategies, including analyzing deals, financing options, property management, and local market trends.

Conventional loan with a local lender and 10% downpayment.

I took an excel sheet I found online (from "Tactica") and tweaked it a bit to help track and compare different major cities/ different local cities by taking its population growth, labor stats, and rental stats/ multifamily stock to help someone visualize the different places and see where their next investment could be.

And then pay for digital advertising on local RE/business centric websites.

Hi Christie,I am a local real estate agent and investor.

Websites like Zillow, Rentometer, and local real estate sites can provide initial insights.

Hi Erin - Look into Meetup.com to find local groups.