Really about growing a strong portfolio of solid deals.Now that being said, if you are a high income earner, well qualified, and can't find reasonably good deals: (i) you can connect with a well connected real estate agent for off-market deals; (ii) you might do a very narrow cost-effective cold call or letter writing.

A lot of my clients buy in Alexandria because of the strong rental market and laid back laws on short and midterm rentals. 

Strong performance so far.

I have no particular area that I'd like to start with or focus on, but probably prefer somewhere in the south of the US due to my strong aversion of winter.

It could be a good option if the investor strongly desires ease and passive style.

Research landlord-friendly states with lower property prices and strong rental demand, like Texas or the Midwest.

When we purchased our laundromat, it had a strong brand and positive reviews online.

I strongly recommend against people buying real estate with zero money.

With $4+ million in equity, you could conservatively leverage your replacement property(ies) and generate strong passive cash flow from high quality NNN assets.

Do sunshine and beaches matter more, or a strong job market in your specific field?