Without exclusion, I thank all contributors to this thread.  

Banking cash flow today to invest tomorrow vs living off of itFound a job at a start up (part-time) in the RE space that I really enjoy that can show some form of W2 income but the absolute $$ of this work are far less than my "real" W2 tech jobConsidering selling primary residence (currently used as STR) before the "live there for 2 of the last 5 years" capital gains exclusion expires that has increased in value and keeping cash but eventually rolling those gains into a multi family prop when price is right and I find my "forever 2 or 3 flat"

But keep in mind, the policies from the STR programs like Proper, have removed exclusions found in standard commercial policies to provide broader coverage to claims associated with STR. 

. , I use Craigslist exclusively.)

IF they have a good deal, they either buy it themselves or they always work with an exclusive little club of high net worth investors/renovators. 

I moved to Houston TX in 2009 but invest almost exclusively in Los Angeles all but one duplex is in Los Angeles.  

Here's a snapshot of the info that caught my eye:"Real Estate Prices and OverviewDuplex area median real estate price is $87,181, which is less expensive than 70.7% of Michigan neighborhoods and 70.7% of all U.S. neighborhoods.The average rental price in this Duplex area is currently $1,144, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.

They are almost exclusively SFHs or apartments.

Here’s some good news…Real estate can be purchased without 100% funding from your IRAYou can use undivided interest (the ability to have ownership in something with multiple people while no one person has exclusive rights to the property).

Although some investors obtain 30-60-90 day 'late lists', I rely almost exclusively on public record filings.