If you are focusing on vacation rentals Airbnb could be a good option.

I know there are more investment focused ways like creating a real estate investment fund. 

My company mainly focuses on “C” class properties and typically does value add.  

I know I should focus on paying off loans, but I truly believe this could help me with that if I am smart about what I buy.

I've decided to focus on the learning as much as I can about lending/financing options so I'm well equipped when opportunities come.

What you should focus on is what improvements will allow you to raise the rents in the building?

Otherwise you would be playing a "slow mans game" if you only focused on cash flow.

Because of this experience I am looking for a CPA who focuses on Real Estate and preferably has personal experience with their own properties. 

I would still use this website: https://adtech.dailyjournal.com/legalAds/ to research new probate files at this courthouse in LA county: http://www.lacourt.org/courthouse/info/laAnd to research new probate files in Orange county I would go to this courthouse:http://www.occourts.org/index.htmlFor marketing I would focus and mail to PR's that live outside of CA (GA, N.J., WY, FL, TX, etc.,) as they would be more motivated to sell.To be honest it wouldn't take 1 month to close a deal.But I have enough on my plate here in N.

However, I have decided to focus on Baltimore.