I haven't see my house in 7 months but consistently makes money.

The next challenge is taking consistent action!

I live in DC and it is also a very competitive market in terms of Search rankings, but I consistently see IC members at the top of google searches in many different cities, including my own!

In most areas of CA, NYC and Hawaii that profit will consist of both appreciation and CASHFLOW over the holding time. 

Everything is moving rapidly around here and prices are consistently climbing.  

Wholesaling, although the cheapest point of entry for many new RE investors, is also, in my opinion, the hardest as you need to do many things well and consistently and persistently.

"Minor quirks and flaws in the plaster and trim and flooring, consistent with age of the home, painted and intact."

Hypothetically, if he didn't pay the $10 by the 5th, he would owe me $60.One one hand, "it's only $10" and a $50 fee seems excessive, yet I have a late rent policy that I strive to enforce in a consistent way and if everyone shorted me by $10 or $20 my returns would reflect that. 

There is a gal in Atlanta that lives completely off these - she teaches continuing education credit courses on leasing to agents & pairs up with the top agents in her market netting 10-30 deals a month.Some people buy leads, or pay for marketing (ppc/adwords, content marketing, SEO, - I would avoid this until you have 200-400 doors & even then I'd be very cautious (avoid anything with lengthy contracts).Online reviews trump marketing - create a proactive process to get consistent reviews online from your tenants & owners - the leads you get from review sites will take half the time to close and your close rate will be more like word of mouth.

Blog Commenting & guest posting are hugeon  and on....................There is so much you could do, but whatever you do, Be consistent!