Surprisingly enough on a rental I just had in Sherman, I would guess 1/3 of the calls were from people that lived or worked in DFW area and were willing to drive for the price.I've posted various lists of meetups in DFW area if you search for it here. 

Drive for dollars, cold calling, direct mail, bandit signs, social media marketing, website, possibly wholesalers........ the list goes on. 

@Cristian Gaona I can't speak for the CA market directly as I know it is extremely competitive but; you could try driving for dollars, door knocking, speaking with property managers, calling landlords with homes for rent, etc and try to generate an off-market deal.

You won't get anything from the tenant but also won't get legislation to change based on the first interaction with your elected officials but you will plant a seed and you will have a lever to pull to vent to with someone who might actually be able to drive change! 

We have been really eager to get started and have signed up with wholesalers in the area, been driving for dollars, and sending direct mail.

Pick a strategy and learn everything you can on that strategy (and of course your target market).Education is your foundation so do you want a strong and deep foundation, or a mickey mouse one?

There are other schools of thought, but I think when you're just starting out, the best location is somewhere close enough for you to drive to.

On the thanksgiving vacation, I'm going to drive down to Florida, and look for a properties that I can live on one side and rent out the other. 

Deep Pockets Landlord.

Since the home cannot be rented for a year it allowed the year for improvements to drive up rental income.