California to Illinois

[Pamela Howell]

Hello all- 

I am new to this whole property purchasing but have been learning and looking over the past 1.5 years. I feel that I am ready to take the leap but at the same time hate the taste of failure. So looking for any kind of guidance, advice encouragement, something. 
I was initially looking into Macomb Illinois for student rentals but some of their homes seem to be on the market for a long time (500+days) so I have spread my search to Rockford Illinois (SFH) area as well as possibly Cleveland Ohio (MFH). If it was a perfect world I would purchase a SFH that is rented as well as a MFH that is rented except for one unit which I would use while fixing. I intend to pay all cash for my purchases and will spend half a month at the MFH and the other half at my current home in California. I am hoping to fly out there no later then the end of August but that is where I hit a wall. I know i need a realtor out there as I am hoping I can look at as many properties as I can for a few days then allow myself a few days of processing prior to making an offer before heading back home. How does one go about finding a realtor from OOS? Anybody have recommendations on realtors in those areas? Am I just crazy to think I can accomplish a task such as this in one weeks time? Any and all help would be wonderful.
Thank You, 

Pamela