I'm a full-time wholesaler and native of Baltimore.

FSBO magazines, newspaper, signs, direct mail to foreclosed on owners, renters, all within the scope of marketing, mortgage brokers may have leads of those near misses too.

Those are the young(er) folks driving up in-city prices because what's an unaffordable home to a native resident is 50% of the cost of a home in NJ or MD.

then if the bank office news paper etc do a really good job I send a box of chocolate covered strawberries, a gift card, or something nice to their office once in a while. 

Nashville native here.

I am native to Kansas City and also sell in Cincinnati/Dayton.

Other methods are driving for dollars, door knocking, wholesalers, craigslist, Realtors, FSBO sites, expired listings, billboards, newspapers, other offline publications.You can use pay per click/adwords, motivated seller website with SEO, facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, and other forms of online and social media marketing. 

Your hometown newspaper classified section - Look in the real estate wanted, real estate services and homes for sale sections.

The strange thing about the Phoenix metro is the East Valley is starting to run into barriers and having to expand southward but unlike many cities that have this problem like LA or San Francisco it isn't the oceans or mountains that block development but the native american reservations. 

When Investing in a new city, you definitely want to consult with a native from that area.