People are always searching local.

You notice it on the forums as well...we rarely discuss real transactions any more and all the talk is about "the market". it is expected, pretty well expected to behave like that.one thing that we don't understand is that why certain market remains so hot and strong (for example some local market in CA), this one is unpredictable. 

I have a HELOC on my rental, I got it with a local credit union.

I'm and experienced STR owner and manager and multifamily owner operator, so I know about 28 day minimums, local regulations, underwriting, insurance etc.

Also set up some alerts for your local city names, so when people talk about your area, you can jump in and meet people.

He’s probably going to end up going to a trade school, get a real estate license, work with a local contractor to become a building contractor.What are your thoughts about buying a property early in your life?

Even if they're SoCal local meet ups, there should definitely be some out of state investors or people similar to your situation.

However, a local real estate investor in a similar situation once told me he couldn't get the tax deduction because he didn't qualify as a real estate professional on one of my posts in the forum. 

We worked to put together a development deal for a local developer.

I'm a local resident (Rockledge), realtor, and investor.