A couple of days is not going to hurt anything on your end and this will give you time to properly screen.

My biz card has my picture on it with my phone and email address

I'd love to chat more with you in person, or over the phone.

Screening is one third of the equation."

. :)First thing you need to do is make sure your notice has the required information in it (i.e. name, address, and phone # of person to pay; exact amount of rent that is due; do not list any late fees in the notice; where and how payment is to be made; etc). 

- 25KOther information I should know about you and/or your business: Email: Cell Phone: Contact me when you...

I feel its more your ability to screen a tenant rather than the neighborhood you are in. 

Otherwise you can look into mailing and opening up the conversation via letter and lead to phone then to a personal meeting.

For me, when I got started it was a) access to cheap private capital (family & friends), b) a willingness to house hack and live with roommates, c) location in a city with a cheap real estate inventory, and d) a friend who was also investing and could help me with some contractor contacts.Yours will be different, for example maybe you know a certain area of the city very well and can recognize underpriced MLS properties, or you have the time to send out direct mail and take phone calls, or you have the temperament to knock on doors of potential sellers, or you are very handy and can save money on the rehab, or you have a very long-term investment horizon so you can buy in marginal areas, or you love networking and can convince someone to JV a deal... you get the idea.  

Does anyone "pre-qualify" a tenant on the phone, have a conversation, if they sound like a good tenant, qualified, etc.