Looking to buy my first home and rental property in Lansing, MI.

[James Dean-Howell]

I just moved to Lansing for work and I'm looking to buy my first home. I'm trying to get started here and meet with some realtors. 

My long term goals are rental properties. I looked into the student market of East Lansing which is the town of MSU, and I think I'm going to avoid that for now until I get more experience managing a rental. 

Ideally I'd want something near my place of work I can house hack. I plan to focus on rent-to-own properties or triplexes and quadruples with very strict tenant selection.

So a few questions. 

Where should I start with researching the areas I want to buy? What resources can I use? What should I be looking for to see the potential of rental properties in my area. I'd be looking for things like vacancy rates, average rent, crime rates, etc. 

Also I want to meet with a few realtors to talk about my plans to start getting into owning rental properties. What is the best and most reliable resource for finding great realtors that are going to help me not just buy my first home, but my 10th home? I'm looking for someone who is willing to develop a long term relationship with me, help educate me on exceeding at owning rental properties. Someone who is going to help me find deals and put me in contact with good people to work with in addition to the realtor. So a good loan officer, eviction attorney, contractor, etc. 

Thanks for the advice in advance!