They rarely, if ever, post available units online, its essentially all word-of-mouth.The reason we are targeting buildings that are not currently for sale is because we believe in the power of just asking.  

Like Michael I have used FB ads for business other than real estate and found it to be very powerful tool.  

It will likely cost you more and you have less control, but often times, a good GC can get you materials and supplies (with their markups) for same price or less than you can because of their purchasing power.

That's the way to build powerful relationships.Like you, I am living in Los Angeles, but I focus on investing out of state for the 3x cash flow and reasonable cost of real estate.

There will always be unexpected surprises and if those surprises are bad you want to be able to take care of it on your own and the only way to that if the property is out of state is to take a trip there.

There are too many variables in remodeling , inspections , ordering materials , unexpected problems , changes  etc.  

I checked power history afterwards out of personal curiosity, and while it was higher, it wasn't so much that I would have been able to call it out for sure and there were no huge spikes.

Each state or commonwealth has it's own laws concerning intestate distribution of real estate.Further, there are different levels of power for the person(s) who wish to transfer real estate or encumber with a voluntary lien like a trust or mortgage that is insured by a title company. 

That net profit is pretty thin and doesn't really allow for any unexpected stuff.

(Had it down to 3K, but then my AC and pool broke, and I had some unexpected medical bills.)My question is this.