Any help in the South Bend, IN area?

[Brant Richardson]

I am new to real estate investing. I have been running my mothers two rentals for a couple years and I am extremely handy, I can fix anything in a house except the appliances. This makes it really scary to buy out of state, a lot of my security is that I can manage and take care of any problems that arise. However the rental market here in Santa Barbara is horrendous. One of the better deals I was looking at was $750k for a duplex which produces $4400/m in rent... I'm not joking. So you can see why I want to invest out of state.

A friend suggested a "Turnkey" group which got me interested in out of state and gave me some ideas on areas to look in.

I have been looking at Kansas City, Houston and South Bend. I have family that live near South Bend which gives me a little security. One works at a title company. She has a close friend who is a contractor who I can trust. She also hooked me up with a realtor but he did not "feel comfortable" recommending any properties with out me being there to inspect them myself. He did not seem confident in what rent to expect from properties either.

Anybody have any recommendations on a realtor in South Bend who would want to work with a investor? I also need a good management company. A pretty average investment there would be far better than a great investment here (not including appreciation) and the initial buy in is a much smaller commitment so I'm feeling pretty confident that I can do well with the right team.