I would encourage you to ask around and see whom is well regarded in your area and then start getting on the phones early and often.

I've been encouraged to foster a relationship with a small regional bank so I can be privy to their note tapes.

Smart utilities encourage conservation when they are near the bottom of that sawtooth, and encourage more use/more customers/more density if they are near the top. 

These programs are designed to encourage home ownership and protect lenders at the same time.Less risk = better interest rate.

When rates are good, I always encourage to leverage the debt in real estate.

I would encourage researching potential areas on existing deterrents to potential growth (Austin's landfill sites on the East and South East side to name a few).  

Hoping to share some encouragement..

I am willing to work with them, but am fortunate since we are NOT over-leveraged.If you follow these posts with guys wanting to buy stuff for nothing-down, those are usually the types that make life miserable for good tenants since dollars drive them.However, I get a bad tenant and I can return the favor.Anyways, for your cynical self, I guess I'd like to make society better by rewarding (and hopefully encouraging) good behaviors.

We're looking to get a group of local Homer area investors together to swap stories, encourage each other and put some deals together.

Aside from the natural increases (2.5%) you can get vacancy increases but then you need to encourage folks to leave.