I think that Lehigh valley might be the easiest barrier to entry relative to property/area class.

Focusing your efforts on specific forums related to your interests helps in making relevant connections.Offering value before asking for anything in return can set a strong foundation for future relationships.

I had the same issue.

Many OOS investors set themselves up for failure because they don't invest the time to ACTUALLY understand:1) The Class of the NEIGHBORHOOD they are buying in - which is relative to the overall area.2) The Class of the PROPERTY they are buying - which is relative to the overall area.3) The Class of the TENANT POOL the Neighborhood & Property will attract - which is relative to the overall area.4) The Class of the CONTRACTORS that will work on their Property, given the Neighborhood location - which is relative to the overall area.5) The Class of the PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (PMC) that will manage their Property, given the Neighborhood location and the Tenants it will attract - which is relative to the overall area.6) That a Class X NEIGHBORHOOD will have mostly Class X PROPERTIES, which will only attract Class X TENANTS, CONTRACTORS AND PMCs and deliver Class X RESULTS.7) That OOS property Class rankings are often different than the Class ranking of the local market they live.Class A is relatively easy to manage, can even be DIY remote managed from another state.

who issued the 1099? 

Hi CJ, Greenfield neighborhood has a ton of duplex and triplexes, and is very convenient to Squirrel Hill and to the Parkway for quick access to downtown, with sale prices still being relatively low compared to neighboring areas

Therefore, since the mortgage showed that it was covered we didn't have an issue qualifying. 

I got advice from my relator how to get the house and win the bidding wars going on at the time.

Real estate has some advantages over other investments, but ultimately the goal in all investing is to maximize return relative to perceived risk.  

While I'm relatively new to REI, I bring with me a quarter century of lessons learned in running high-performing teams, managing projects, and getting things done.