Both of you should read the "recruiting manifesto" that is published in these forums as part of "GDs Guide to the Game". It will explain a lot.
Regarding multiple CVs, its really about how much money (aka, recruiting effort) you put into a player. At D3 and D2, sometimes it is good to use multiple CVs to knock off a SIM or another human coach, however, to your point...it bleeds you dry quickly and is generally not recommended. At the higher levels it is expected to required much more "recruiting effort" to win over a player, therefore you have more money, therefore you can afford to send the multiple CVs that might be required to win a recruiting battle. At D3, you can probably only afford one battle. At D2 you might be able to afford 2. It just depends on who, where, and what player.
Regarding range....the primary advantage is staying below 360 miles. After that, the expense goes up significantly. If you can find good recruits within 5 miles, then great...most likely you will need to expand well beyond 100 miles to get the quality you need/want at some positions. I would not go beyond 360 until you have gotten decent at recruiting and not running out of money....going beyond 360 will just help you go broke faster.
There are many variations and opinions on the above, but those are my thoughts/advice.