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

[Scott Trench]

Welcome, @Pamela Howell and congrats at getting into property purchasing and real estate investing! 

To answer your specific question - I'd encourage you to click on the "Find an Agent" button at the top of your screen, and go interview a few agents in some of the markets you are considering. This will be the fastest and easiest way to find solid investor friendly agents (if we do our jobs right here at BiggerPockets, that is!). 

I think your plan is a great one, and I look forward to hearing how things go with your real estate endeavors.