maybe... but you probably won't get a 'great price' in a random out of state market just by looking on Zillow like everyone else is. 

There's a self-proclaimed Section 8 guru online who claims he hires random property managers through this website called Thumbtack.

put another way:-Go on Zillow and buy a random property in Detroit: fail, lose money, give up on real estate investing.

When hanging, the contractor will spread the Green Glue on the new panels in a random pattern with a caulking gun.

So - somewhere 2 hours away, or somewhere you like to vacation in, or where all your family lives, or where you plan to move someday.Too many people are trying to do exactly what you're doing - pick a market based on a formula - and they end up buying a random 'cheap' property thousands of miles away, turn it over to people they've never met or even spoken to, and then... lose money.  

I tried attending some local meetups, but like you mentioned, most were focused on investing locally or a random mix of different strategies—fix and flips, short-term rentals, you name it.

I just got another random $475 bill from them.  

I'll save you the details but...Per door cost: $63,300All in Cost: 700kTotal Revenue: 137k(ish) annuallyNOI: 65-73% (in the expenses we included: insurance, taxes, $75/month per door repair expense, management fee 8%, grass cutting, & a misc fund for random crap business license, etc.)Now...

It's very rare that somebody just gets randomly shot 9 times by a stranger.

i would not buy a random property in Alabama that you find on Zillow and turn it over to people you've never met just because the price point is appealing.here are some threads on how that can go:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1160450-run-i...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/1215726-break...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1137397-balti...i own property in 3 states - happy to answer any questions you have.