I'll stand by and listen to others experiences on this because I find myself wanting to defend the idea when really I started the thread in order to learn, not teach :)  Thanks all.

Definitely join us at some meetups and start networking with those are doing exactly what you want to be doing so you can learn and follow in their footsteps!

Lessons learned?

After some research and thinking, I have come to the conclusion the best starting point for me to buy my first out-of-state property is going to be in West Virginia. with a low price point to start with I think I can learn a lot and make some mistakes on the way. 

Save the rest for REI opportunities when you learn to see them. 

The amount I learned the hard-way through this volatile escrow process I feel as thought I could write a book!

The best way to learn and grow is just to start.

There is quite a bit to learn so I would say get moving - read, go to meetings, consider working with someone who can help you jump the learning curve, set meetings with potential team members.

It's a great place to learn about postcard marketing and marketing in general.However, I also got terrible results with their postcards.

Resold 200,000 Lessons learned?